Sample records for iter coil power

The ITERcoil insulation systems are required for operating voltages up to 10 KV and to support shear and normal compression loads through the winding pack. Manufacturing considerations and nuclear radiation resistance also influence the choice of suitable systems. A screening program of candidate systems is being conducted in stages. The first stage is reported in this paper. Present R and D data based on small samples indicate a static shear strength of about 85 MPa for a glass or alumina and epoxy resin vacuum pressure impregnation system and 50 MPa for a pre-impregnated glass/epoxy resin system with polyimide interleaved at a temperature of 4K. The preliminary irradiation results show that coating the steel surface with inorganic materials such as Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} or ZrO{sub 2}/8 Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} is beneficial in increasing the radiation resistance as far as shear strength is concerned. In addition Tetrafunctional epoxy (TGDM) systems appear to be more radiation resistant than Diglycidyl Ether of Bisphenol-A (DGEBA) systems. Further R and D work will focus on prototypical samples to continue evaluation of the performance of the insulation systems.

ELM mitigation is of particular importance in ITER in order to prevent rapid erosion or melting of the divertor surface, with the consequent risk of water leaks, increased plasma impurity content and disruptivity. Exploitable "natural" small or no ELM regimes might yet be found which extrapolate to ITER but this cannot be depended upon. Resonant Magnetic Perturbation has been added to pellet pacing as a tool for ITER to mitigate ELMs. Both are required, since neither method is fully developed and much work remains to be done. In addition, in-vessel coils enable vertical stabilization and RWM control. For these reasons, in-vessel coils (IVCs) are being designed for ITER to provide control of Edge Localized Modes (ELMs) in addition to providing control of moderately unstable resistive wall modes (RWMs) and the vertical stability (VS) of the plasma.

The ITER in-vessel coil system includes Vertical Stability (VS) coils and Edge Localized Mode (ELM) coils. There are two large VS ring coils, one upper and one lower. Each has four turns which are independently connected. The VS coils are needed for successful operation of ITER for most all of its operating modes. The VS coils must be highly reliable and fault tolerant. The operating environment includes normal and disruption Lorentz forces. To parametrically address all these design conditions in a tractable analysis requires a simplified model. The VS coils are predominately axisymmetric, and this suggests that an axisymmetric model can be meaningfully used to address the variations in mechanical design, loading, material properties, and time dependency. The axisymmetric finite element analysis described in this paper includes simulations of the bolted frictional connections used for the mounting details. Radiation and elastic-plastic response are modeled particularly for the extreme faulted conditions. Thermal connectivity is varied to study the effects of partial thermal connection of the actively cooled conductor to the remaining structure.

The toroidal field coil and support structures for ITER are maintained at cryogenic temperatures. The time-varying currents in the poloidal field coil system will induce eddy currents in these structures. The associated Joule dissipation will cause local heating and require heat removal which will show up as a load on the cryogenic system. Studies of Joule heating of the ITER TF cold structure (TFCS) due to the currents in the poloidal field coil system are presented. The two regimes considered in this study are the plasma vertical stability control and the Edge Loss Mode (ELM) events. The 3-D, thin-shell, eddy current program, EDDYCUFF was used to analyze the eddy currents and Joule losses in the cold structure. The current versus time scenarios were defined. Four control coil options were studied. All schemes use coils external to the TF cold structure. Analyses of power depositions during the plasma vertical stability control were performed for each of the four options. For each of these options three different recovery times were assumed. The times were 3, 1, and 1/3 seconds. Sets of four sequential ELMs, as well as isolated ELMs have been studied for various sets of active PF coils. The results showed that the lowest average power dissipation in the TF cold structure occurs when a subset of PF2 and PF7 are active, and all the other PF coils are passive. The general conclusion is that to minimize power dissipation in the TF cold structure it is preferable that only coils PF2 and PF7 are active. The other coils (PF3-PF6) should be passive and driven by a condition of constant flux. It is recommended in particular, that coils PF3 and PF5 be allowed to change currents to conserve flux, since they provide the maximum shielding of the TFCS from the fields caused by the active coils.

An insulation system for ITER Central Solenoid must have sufficiently high electrical and structural strength. Design efforts to bring stresses in the turn and layer insulation within allowables failed. It turned out to be impossible to eliminate high local tensile stresses in the winding pack. When high local stresses can not be designed out, the qualification procedure requires verification of the acceptable structural and electrical strength by testing. We built two 4 x 4 arrays of the conductor jacket with two options of the CS insulation and subjected the arrays to 1.2 million compressive cycles at 60 MPa and at 76 K. Such conditions simulated stresses in the CS insulation. We performed voltage withstand tests and after end of cycling we measured the breakdown voltages between in the arrays. After that we dissectioned the arrays and studied micro cracks in the insulation. We report details of the specimens preparation, test procedures and test results.

An insulation system for ITER Central Solenoid must have sufficiently high electrical and structural strength. Design efforts to bring stresses in the turn and layer insulation within allowables failed. It turned out to be impossible to eliminate high local tensile stresses in the winding pack. When high local stresses can not be designed out, the qualification procedure requires verification of the acceptable structural and electrical strength by testing. We built two 4x4 arrays of the conductor jacket with two options of the CS insulation and subjected the arrays to 1.2 million compressive cycles at 60 MPa and at 76 K. Such conditions simulated stresses in the CS insulation. We performed voltage withstand tests and after end of cycling we measured the breakdown voltages between in the arrays. After that we dissectioned the arrays and studied micro cracks in the insulation. We report details of the specimens preparation, test procedures and test results.

The ITER vertical stability (VS) coils have been developed through the preliminary design phase by Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). Final design, prototyping and construction will be carried out by the Chinese Participant Team contributing lab, Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP). The VS coils are a part of the in-vessel coil systems which include edge localized mode (ELM) coils as well as the VS coils. An overview of the ELM coils is provided in another paper at this conference. 15 The VS design employs four turns of stainless steel jacketed mineral insulated copper (SSMIC) conductors The mineral insulation is Magnesium Oxide (MgO). Joule and nuclear heat is removed by water flowing at 3 m/s through the hollow copper conductor. A key element in the design is that slightly elevated temperatures in the conductor and its support spine during operation impose compressive stresses that mitigate fatigue damage. Away from joints, and break-outs, conductor thermal stresses are low because of the axisymmetry of the winding (there are no corner bends as in the ELM coils).The 120 degree segment joint, and break-out or terminal regions are designed with similar but imperfect constraint compared with the ring coil portion of the VS. The support for the break-out region is made from a high strength copper alloy, CuCrZr. This is needed to conduct nuclear heat to the actively cooled conductor and to the vessel wall. The support "spine" for the ring coil portion of the VS is 316 stainless steel, held to the vessel with preloaded 718 bolts. Lorentz loads resulting from normal operating loads, disruption loads and loads from disruption currents in the support spine shared with vessel, are applied to the VS coil. The transmission of the Lorentz and thermal expansion loads from the "spine" to the vessel rails is via friction augmented with a restraining "lip" to ensure the coil frictional slip is minimal and acceptable. Stresses in the coil

The ITER project is considering the inclusion of two sets of in-vessel coils, one to mitigate the effect of Edge Localized Modes (ELMs) and another to provide vertical stabilization (VS). The in-vessel location (behind the blanket shield modules, mounted to the vacuum vessel inner wall) presents special challenges in terms of nuclear radiation (~3000 MGy) and temperature (100oC vessel during operations, 200oC during bakeout). Mineral insulated conductors are well suited to this environment but are not commercially available in the large cross section required. An R&D program is underway to demonstrate the production of mineral insulated (MgO or Spinel) hollow copper conductor with stainless steel jacketing needed for these coils. A preliminary design based on this conductor technology has been developed and is presented herein.

The Central Solenoid (CS) designed for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is a 13 T, 42 kA coil with a winding pack mass of 863 t, cooled by supercritical helium. To demonstrate the feasibility of the design and performance of the CS a CS Model Coil project was carried out during the ITER Engineering Design Activity in 1994- 1999. This paper describes the R&D and fabrication effort during this project with a focus on the construction of the Inner Module of the CS Model Coil by the US Home Team.

The ITER Toroidal Field Model Coil (TFMC) was designed and manufactured by the European Home Team in collaboration with European industry. The test in the TOSKA facility of the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe was successfully performed in 2001 and 2002 and has confirmed that the used design and construction principles are applicable for the ITER TF coils. The TFMC was tested up to the rated current of 80 kA as a single coil and in the background field of the EURATOM LCT coil in order to achieve ITER TF coil relevant stress levels. For the operation of the TFMC and LCT coils, special developed forced-flow-cooled current leads were used. Both coils with a total weight of 108 t were forced-flow-cooled with supercritical He at 4.5 K in a secondary cooling loop connected to the 2 kW refrigerator. However, for currents above 11.4 kA in the LCT coil, its winding had to be cooled at 3.0 K with a separate refrigerator and cooling system. Details of the process engineering of both cooling systems will be described. The operation experiences during cool down, standby and current operation and recooling after fast discharges or Tcs measurements will be outlined hereafter.

As the output power of a chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) increases, the output laser beam instability appears as the far-field beam spot drift and deformation for the large Fresnel number unstable resonator. In order to interpret this phenomenon, an output beam mode simulation code was developed with the fast Fourier transform method. The calculation results show that the presence of the nonuniform gain in COIL produces a skewed output intensity distribution, which causes the mirror tilt and bulge due to the thermal expansion. With the output power of COIL increases, the mirror surfaces, especially the back surface of the scraper mirror, absorb more and more heat, which causes the drift and deformation of far field beam spot seriously. The initial misalignment direction is an important factor for the far field beam spot drifting and deformation.

The ITER international project design teams are working to produce an engineering design for construction of this large tokamak fusion experiment. One of the design issues is ensuring proper control of the fusion plasma. In-vessel magnet coils may be needed for plasma control, especially the control of edge localized modes (ELMs) and plasma vertical stabilization (VS). These coils will be lifetime components that reside inside the ITER vacuum vessel behind the blanket modules. As such, their reliability is an important design issue since access will be time consuming if any type of repair were necessary. The following chapters give the research results and estimates of failure rates for the coil conductor and jacket materials to be used for the in-vessel coils. Copper and CuCrZr conductors, and stainless steel and Inconel jackets are examined.

New tests and measurements performed (Othello Facility, EFDA Task) on TF mock up cooling inlet and different central spirals (characteristics: hydraulic outer diameter and perforation ratio) are presented, as well as the new model of singular and linear friction factor. The ITERCoils CICC hydraulic length pressure drop is determined in operating conditions (m=8 g/s, P=0.6 MPa and T=5 K): the important result is an increase in linear pressure drop for the TF (290 Pa/m) and CS (430 Pa/m), in comparison with prototype model coils TFMC (100 Pa/m) and CSMC (180 Pa/m). The main reason is the reduction of the central spiral diameter and associated increase of friction factor and bundle to total mass flow ratio α (from 1/3 up to 2/3 typically). The ratio of singular cooling inlet to CICC linear pressure drop is estimated: TF mock up ratio (3 m) is lower than previous CS mock up tested (12 m), due to design changes. The cryogenic power necessary to compensate the CICC pressure drop is calculated for the 4 primary loop circuits: typically 2.3 kW at 5 K for TF winding system represents 40% of the whole average TF winding magnet heat loads during operation.

ITER is incorporating two types of In Vessel Coils (IVCs): ELM Coils to mitigate Edge Localized Modes and VS Coils to provide Vertical Stabilization of the plasma. Strong coupling with the plasma is required so that the ELM and VS Coils can meet their performance requirements. Accordingly, the IVCs are in close proximity to the plasma, mounted just behind the Blanket Shield Modules. This location results in a radiation and temperature environment that is severe necessitating new solutions for material selection as well as challenging analysis and design solutions. Fitting the coil systems in between the blanket shield modules and the vacuum vessel leads to difficult integration with diagnostic cabling and cooling water manifolds.

Inductive power transmission is widely used to energize implantable microelectronic devices (IMDs), recharge batteries, and energy harvesters. Power transfer efficiency (PTE) and power delivered to the load (PDL) are two key parameters in wireless links, which affect the energy source specifications, heat dissipation, power transmission range, and interference with other devices. To improve the PTE, a 4-coil inductive link has been recently proposed. Through a comprehensive circuit based analysis that can guide a design and optimization scheme, we have shown that despite achieving high PTE at larger coil separations, the 4-coil inductive links fail to achieve a high PDL. Instead, we have proposed a 3-coil inductive power transfer link with comparable PTE over its 4-coil counterpart at large coupling distances, which can also achieve high PDL. We have also devised an iterative design methodology that provides the optimal coil geometries in a 3-coil inductive power transfer link. Design examples of 2-, 3-, and 4-coil inductive links have been presented, and optimized for 13.56 MHz carrier frequency and 12 cm coupling distance, showing PTEs of 15%, 37%, and 35%, respectively. At this distance, the PDL of the proposed 3-coil inductive link is 1.5 and 59 times higher than its equivalent 2- and 4-coil links, respectively. For short coupling distances, however, 2-coil links remain the optimal choice when a high PDL is required, while 4-coil links are preferred when the driver has large output resistance or small power is needed. These results have been verified through simulations and measurements. PMID:21922034

Several fusion devices have found improvement in plasma performance from the application of either static or dynamic magnetic perturbations from a set of coils. DIII-D has found that static fields can prevent formation of locked modes and create ergodic structures in the plasma edge that decrease the size of ELMS. They have also used such coils in a feedback loop to control the growth of resistive wall modes. Similar effects have been observed on NSTX, C-Mod, ASDEX, and JET. In all cases, the coils were placed close to the plasma either inside the vessel or immediately outside a thin vessel. Because ITER is a burning plasma device with a long pulse length, thick nuclear shielding must be placed between the plasma and the vacuum vessel. If ITER is to realize the confinement and operation benefits of resistive wall mode control coils, locations and coil designs must be found where such coils can be deployed. Two generic locations have been identified. The most accessible location is immediately outside the vessel and around the mid-plane ports. An alternative location closer to the plasma is inside the mid-plane ports but behind the port shield module. We have used an electromagnetic modeling code to evaluate both the static and dynamic field perturbations at the plasma edge for both of these coil options for frequencies from 1 Hz to 6kHz. *Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

The mechanical properties of glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRPs) suggested for the turn and ground insulation of the ITER toroidal field (TF) coils are subject to extensive investigations with respect to their design requirements at present. The insulation system used for the ITER TF model coil, manufactured by European industry, consists of a boron-free R-glass fiber reinforced tape, vacuum-pressure impregnated in a DGEBA epoxy system and partly interleaved with polyimide-foils (e.g. Kapton-H-foils). In order to assess the material performance under the actual operating conditions of ITER-FEAT, the system was irradiated in the TRIGA reactor (Vienna, Austria) to neutron fluences of 5×10 21 and 1×10 22 m -2 ( E>0.1 MeV). The composite was screened at 77 K using static tensile, short-beam-shear (SBS) as well as double-lap-shear tests prior to and after irradiation. Furthermore, tension-tension fatigue measurements were done in order to simulate the pulsed ITER-FEAT operation. We observe that the mechanical strength and the fracture behavior of these GFRPs after irradiation are strongly influenced by the three factors: the winding direction of the tape, the quality of fabrication and the delamination process.

The aim of the Large Coil Task (LCT) was to demonstrate the reliable operation of large superconducting toroidal field (TF) coils and to prove the design principles and fabrication techniques to be applied for the magnets in a tokamak experimental power reactor. This has been achieved by an outstanding international development effort during more than ten years of cooperation within an IEA agreement. Parties were the US DOE, EURATOM, JAERI and the Swiss government. Six different D-shaped test coils were separately designed, developed and constructed by the LCT participants, then extensively tested together in a compact toroidal array. The ORNL acted for DOE as the LCT operating agent, building and operating the required test facility. The US also provided three test coils; the other three participants one coil each. Detailed information on coil design and manufacture and all test data were shared among the LCT participants. After facility shakedown operations and preliminary coil tests, the full six-coil array tests were carried out in a continuous period from the beginning of 1986 until September 1987. Beside the originally planned tests to reach an 8 T design point performance, the tests went well beyond this goal, reaching 9 T peak field in each coil. The experiments also delineated the limits of operability and demonstrated the coil safety under abnormal conditions. For fusion application the transient a.c. field behaviour in the coils was also of great interest. Three of the coils have been tested in this respect and showed excellent performance, with loss values in agreement with the theoretical predictions. At the time of International Experimental Reactor (ITER) activities, it might be worthwhile to mention that LCT demonstrated an effective multinational collaboration in an advanced technology project, involving large scale hardware produced in several countries then assembled and operated as a tightly integrated system.

The ITER toroidal field (TF) system features eighteen coils that will provide the magnetic field necessary to confine the plasma. Each winding pack is composed of seven double pancakes (DP) connected through praying hands joints. Shaking hands joints are used to interface the terminals of the conductor with the feeder and inter-coil U-shaped bus bars. The feasibility of operating plasma scenarios depends on the ability of the magnets to retain sufficient temperature and current margins. In this respect, the joints represent a possible critical region due to the combination of steady state Joule heating in the resistance of the joint and coupling losses and currents in ramped operation. The temperature and current margins of both DP and terminal joints are analysed during the 15 and 17 MA plasma scenarios. The effect on the joint performance of feasible optimization solutions, such as rotation of the terminal joints and sole RRR increase, is explored. The characterization of the TF coil joints is completed by the estimation of the coupling loss time constant for different inter-strand and strand-to-joint resistance values. The study is carried out with the code JackPot-ACDC, allowing the analysis of lap-type joints with a strand-level detail.

The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) has been designed and installed in the existing facilities at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). Most of the hardware, plant facilities, auxiliary sub-systems, and power systems originally used for the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) have been used with suitable modifications to reflect NSTX needs. Prior to 2004, the NSTX power system was feeding twelve (12) circuits in the machine. In 2004 the Resistive Wall Mode (RWM) Coils were installed on the machine to correct error fields. There are six of these coils installed around the machine in the mid-plane. Since these coils need fast and accurate controls, a Switching Power Amplifier (SPA) with three sub-units was procured, installed and commissioned along with other power loop components. Two RWM Coils were connected in series and fed from one SPA sub-unit. After the initial RWM campaign, operational requirements evolved such that each of the RWM coils now requires separate power and control. Hence a second SPA with three sub-units has been procured and installed. The second unit is of improved design and has the controls and power components completely isolated. The existing thyristor rectifier is used as DC Link to both of the Switching Power Amplifiers. The controls for the RWM are integrated into the overall computer control of the DC Power systems for NSTX. This paper describes the design changes in the RWM Power system for NSTX.

Compression-fatigue tests at 77 K were conducted on test modules of insulated Incoloy 908 conduit. To replicate the operating conditions for the ITER central solenoid (CS) full-scale coil, fatigue loads up to 3.6 MN were applied for 10 5 cycles; no mechanical breakdowns occurred. The conduits were insulated with a preimpregnated resin system, a tetraglycidyl diaminodiphenyl methane (TGDM) epoxy cured with DDS aromatic amine. The conduits were joined by vacuum-pressure impregnation with a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-F epoxy/anhydride-cured resin system. In the 4×4 stacked-conduit test modules, the layer insulation (a high-pressure laminate of TGDM epoxy cured with DDS aromatic amine) was inserted. Periodically during the tests, breakdown voltage was measured across the conduits of both turn and layer insulation; throughout the test, breakdown voltages were at least 46 kV. The addition of a barrier increased structural and electrical reliability.

Gradient coil windings are typically constructed from either variable width copper tracks or fixed width wires. Excessive power dissipation within these windings during gradient coil operation limits the maximum drive current or duty cycle of the coil. It is common to design gradient coils in terms of a continuous minimum power current density and to perform a discretization to obtain the locations of the coil tracks or wires. However, the existence of finite gaps between these conductors and a maximum conductor width leads to an underestimation of coil resistance when calculated using the continuous current density. Put equivalently, the actual current density within the tracks or wires is higher than that used in the optimization and this departure results in suboptimal coil designs. In this work, a mapping to an effective current density is proposed to account for these effects and provide the correct contribution to the power dissipation. This enables the design of gradient coils that are genuinely optimal in terms of power minimization, post-discretization. The method was applied to the theoretical design of a variety of small x- and z-gradient coils for use in small animal imaging and coils for human head imaging. Computer-driven comparisons were made between coils designed with and without the current density mapping, in terms of simulated power dissipation. For coils to be built using variable width tracks, the method provides slight reductions in power dissipation in most cases and substantial gains only in cases where the minimum separation between track centre-lines is less than twice the gap size. However, for coils to be built using fixed width wires, very considerable reductions in dissipated power are consistently attainable (up to 60%) when compared to standard approaches of coil optimization. PMID:23994605

The PFCI is a single-layer solenoid wound from a 45 m long ITER-type NbTi dual-channel cable-in-conduit conductor, designed to be representative of the one currently proposed for the ITER PF1&6 coils. The PFCI, installed in the bore of the ITER central solenoid model coil (CSMC) at JAEA Naka, Japan, and well instrumented from both the thermal hydraulic and the electromagnetic points of view, has been successfully tested in June-August 2008. The test concentrated on DC performance (current sharing temperature and critical current measurements) and AC loss measurements. The results of the analysis of those measurements are reported in the paper, with particular attention to the comparison with the PFCI short sample, which was previously tested in the SULTAN facility. The evolution of the DC performance of the CSMC is also discussed.

Abstract—Spectral Embedding is one of the most effective dimension reduction algorithms in data mining. However, its computation complexity has to be mitigated in order to apply it for real-world large scale data analysis. Many researches have been focusing on developing approximate spectral embeddings which are more efficient, but meanwhile far less effective. This paper proposes Diverse PowerIteration Embeddings (DPIE), which not only retains the similar efficiency of poweriteration methods but also produces a series of diverse and more effective embedding vectors. We test this novel method by applying it to various data mining applications (e.g. clustering, anomaly detection and feature selection) and evaluating their performance improvements. The experimental results show our proposed DPIE is more effective than popular spectral approximation methods, and obtains the similar quality of classic spectral embedding derived from eigen-decompositions. Moreover it is extremely fast on big data applications. For example in terms of clustering result, DPIE achieves as good as 95% of classic spectral clustering on the complex datasets but 4000+ times faster in limited memory environment.

Mitigating edge localized modes (ELMs) with resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) can increase energetic particle losses and resulting wall loads, which have previously been studied in the vacuum approximation. This paper presents recent results of fusion alpha and NBI ion losses in the ITER baseline scenario modelled with the Monte Carlo orbit following code ASCOT in a realistic magnetic field including the effect of the plasma response. The response was found to reduce alpha particle losses but increase NBI losses, with up to 4.2% of the injected power being lost. Additionally, some of the load in the divertor was found to be shifted away from the target plates toward the divertor dome.

To meet the specifications of International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor correction coil (CC) conductor, a 50 kA superconducting transformer has been designed and manufactured to provide the short sample of the CC conductor the current. The transformer consists of two concentric layer-wound superconducting solenoids with the primary inside the secondary coil. In order to test the transformer, the two legs of the secondary coil were directly connected by superconducting cables. A 500 W/4.5 K refrigerator was used to provide the supercritical helium. The maximum current of 56.3 kA in the secondary coil loop was obtained. PMID:20441358

The insulation system of the ITER TF coils consists of multi-layer glass/polyimide tapes impregnated a cyanate-ester/epoxy resin. The ITER TF coils are required to withstand an irradiation of 10 MGy from gamma-ray and neutrons since the ITER TF coils is exposed by fast neutron (>0.1 MeV) of 1022 n/m2 during the ITER operation. Cyanate-ester/epoxy blended resins and bonded glass/polyimide tapes are developed as insulation materials to realize the required radiation-hardness for the insulation of the ITER TF coils. To evaluate the radiation-hardness of the developed insulation materials, the inter-laminar shear strength (ILSS) of glass-fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) fabricated using developed insulation materials is measured as one of most important mechanical properties before/after the irradiation in a fission reactor of JRR-3M. As a result, it is demonstrated that the GFRPs using the developed insulation materials have a sufficient performance to apply for the ITER TF coil insulation.

The insulation system of the ITER TF coils consists of multi-layer glass/polyimide tapes impregnated a cyanate-ester/epoxy resin. The ITER TF coils are required to withstand an irradiation of 10 MGy from gamma-ray and neutrons since the ITER TF coils is exposed by fast neutron (>0.1 MeV) of 10{sup 22} n/m{sup 2} during the ITER operation. Cyanate-ester/epoxy blended resins and bonded glass/polyimide tapes are developed as insulation materials to realize the required radiation-hardness for the insulation of the ITER TF coils. To evaluate the radiation-hardness of the developed insulation materials, the inter-laminar shear strength (ILSS) of glass-fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) fabricated using developed insulation materials is measured as one of most important mechanical properties before/after the irradiation in a fission reactor of JRR-3M. As a result, it is demonstrated that the GFRPs using the developed insulation materials have a sufficient performance to apply for the ITER TF coil insulation.

The PF1 Coil as part of the ITER superconducting magnet system is intended for positioning and shaping of the magnetic poloidal field. The technical specification for the PF1 coil requires a full-scale simulation of the basic technological processes including vacuum pressure impregnation (VPI). Usually, a VPI mold is made of massive stainless steel walls to get the required quality of the monolithic structure of the pancake insulation by hot-curing compound. As a result, we obtain a high-cost furnace with a considerable amount of steel inside to be heated up to the specified temperature; excessive energy consumption for the furnace heating system; problems with the vacuum tightness of the VPI mold. The impregnation procedure using a VPI "plastic" mold was proposed so as to avoid the above mentioned shortcomings associated with the use of the furnace made of stainless steel.

NSTX at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) requires sophisticated plasma positioning control system for stable plasma operation. TF magnetic coils and PF magnetic coils provide electromagnetic fields to position and shape the plasma vertically and horizontally respectively. NSTX utilizes twenty six coilpower supplies to establish and initiate electromagnetic fields through the coil system for plasma control. A power protection and interlock system is utilized to detect power system faults and protect the TF coils and PF coils against excessive electromechanical forces, overheating, and over current. Upon detecting any fault condition the power system is restricted, and it is either prevented from initializing or suppressed to de-energize coilpower during pulsing. Power fault status is immediately reported to the computer system. This paper describes the design and operation of NSTX's protection and interlocking system and possible future expansion.

ITER is an international experimental facility being built by seven Parties to demonstrate the long term potential of fusion energy. The ITER Joint Implementation Agreement (JIA) defines the structure and governance model of such cooperation. There are a number of necessary conditions for such international projects to be successful: a complete design, strong systems engineering working with an agreed set of requirements, an experienced organization with systems and plans in place to manage the project, a cost estimate backed by industry, and someone in charge. Unfortunately for ITER many of these conditions were not present. The paper discusses the priorities in the JIA which led to setting up the project with a Central Integrating Organization (IO) in Cadarache, France as the ITER HQ, and seven Domestic Agencies (DAs) located in the countries of the Parties, responsible for delivering 90%+ of the project hardware as Contributions-in-Kind and also financial contributions to the IO, as ``Contributions-in-Cash.'' Theoretically the Director General (DG) is responsible for everything. In practice the DG does not have the power to control the work of the DAs, and there is not an effective management structure enabling the IO and the DAs to arbitrate disputes, so the project is not really managed, but is a loose collaboration of competing interests. Any DA can effectively block a decision reached by the DG. Inefficiencies in completing design while setting up a competent organization from scratch contributed to the delays and cost increases during the initial few years. So did the fact that the original estimate was not developed from industry input. Unforeseen inflation and market demand on certain commodities/materials further exacerbated the cost increases. Since then, improvements are debatable. Does this mean that the governance model of ITER is a wrong model for international scientific cooperation? I do not believe so. Had the necessary conditions for success

This paper describes the power conditioning scheme for a contactless coilgun called the Linear Induction Launcher (LIL) as an open-loop integrated system. The barrel of the LIL consists of a linear array of coils carrying polyphase currents. These create an electromagnetic wave packet which moves with increasing velocity from breech to muzzle, smoothly accelerating a conductive sleeve which carries a set of azimuthal currents sinusoidally distributed along its length, and which encloses the projectile payload. The power conditioner provides high utilization of energy by transferring energy from capacitor to capacitor simultaneously with the projectile movement. A modular construction of the barrel is described together with laboratory results obtained with a breadboard model of the power conditioner circuit.

The National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) was being constructed at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory before work was stopped in 2008. The objective of this experiment was to develop the stellarator concept and evaluate it's potential as a model for future fusion power plants. Stellarator design requires very precisely positioned Modular Coils of complex shape to form 3D plasmas. In the design of NCSX, Trim Coils were required to compensate for both the positioning of the coils during assembly and the fabrication tolerances of the Modular Coils. Use of the Trim Coils allowed for larger tolerances increasing ease of assembly and decreasing overall cost. A set of Trim coils was developed to suppress the toroidal flux in island regions due to misalignment, magnetic materials, and eddy currents. The requirement imposed upon the design forced the toroidal flux in island regions below 10% of the total toroidal flux in the plasma. An analysis was first performed to evaluate candidate Trim Coil configurations iterating both the size, number, and position of the coils. The design was optimized considering both performance and cost while staying within the tight restraints presented by the space limited geometry. The final design of the Trim Coils incorporated a 48 Coil top bottom symmetric set. Fabrication costs were minimized by having only two coil types and using a planar conventional design with off the shelf commercial conductor. The Trim Coil design incorporated supports made from simple structural shapes assembled together in a way which allowed for adjustment as well as accommodation for the tolerance build up on the mating surfaces. This paper will summarize the analysis that led to the optimization of the Trim Coils set, the trim coil mechanical design, thermal and stress analysis, and the design of the supporting Trim Coil structure.

A method of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) uses an MPPT algorithm to determine a switching frequency for a resonant power converter, including initializing by setting an initial boundary frequency range that is divided into initial frequency sub-ranges bounded by initial frequencies including an initial center frequency and first and second initial bounding frequencies. A first iteration includes measuring initial powers at the initial frequencies to determine a maximum power initial frequency that is used to set a first reduced frequency search range centered or bounded by the maximum power initial frequency including at least a first additional bounding frequency. A second iteration includes calculating first and second center frequencies by averaging adjacent frequent values in the first reduced frequency search range and measuring second power values at the first and second center frequencies. The switching frequency is determined from measured power values including the second power values.

This paper describes the requirements and interfaces of cryogenic and power supply plants for the ITER magnet system. The heat loads and mass flow rates of the magnet system is evaluated to keep coil temperature within 6.5 K during the plasma operation of 2200 s. The helium consumption in the current leads is estimated for a current feed of 4.5 MA from 4 K to 300 K. The location of the electrical insulation breaks is compared near winding and outside of cryostat. The terminal box is designed for interfacing the cryogenic and power supply systems. Separate vacuums for the cryostat and the cryolines facilitate maintenance of all cryogenic components without warm-up of the whole system. A superconducting busbar is used to supply current from a current connector at the coil to the vapor-cooled lead in the coil terminal box. The layout of cryogenic lines and equipment is designed to consider space limitations and routing restrictions in the tokamak hall and the electrical termination building. The main parameters of the cryogenic plant (cryoplant) are discussed.

Wireless power transfer system is a modern technology which allows the transfer of electric power between the air-cored coils of its transformer via high frequency magnetic fields. However, due to its coil separation distance and misalignment, maximum power transfer is not guaranteed. Based on a more efficient and general model available in the literature, rederived mathematical models for evaluating the mutual inductance between circular coils with and without lateral and angular misalignment are presented. Rather than presenting results numerically, the computed results are graphically implemented using MATLAB codes. The results are compared with the published ones and clarification regarding the errors made are presented. In conclusion, this study shows that power transfer efficiency of the system can be improved if a higher frequency alternating current is supplied to the primary coil, the reactive parts of the coils are compensated with capacitors and ferrite cores are added to the coils.

The insulation system for the Toroidal Field Model Coil of ITER is a fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) laminate, which consists of a combined Kapton/R-glass-fiber reinforcement tape, vacuum-impregnated with an epoxy DGEBA system. Pure disk shaped laminates, FRP/stainless-steel sandwiches, and conductor insulation prototypes were irradiated at 5 K in a fission reactor up to a fast neutron fluence of 10 22 m -2 ( E>0.1 MeV) to investigate the radiation induced degradation of the dielectric strength of the insulation system. After warm-up to room temperature, swelling, weight loss, and the breakdown strength were measured at 77 K. The sandwich swells by 4% at a fluence of 5×10 21 m-2 and by 9% at 1×10 22 m-2. The weight loss of the FRP is 2% at 1×10 22 m-2. The dielectric strength remained unchanged over the whole dose range.

Twenty-five percent of the total toroidal field (TF) coil conductors at the ITER are supplied by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). The jacket section of a TF conductor is made of modified 316LN. The JAEA tested three types of tensile specimens (Japanese-Industrial-Standards-type and ASTM-type) cut from the jacket at 4.2 K. The ASTM-type specimen had a longer and wider reduced section than did the JIS-type specimen. The results of the test showed that the EL of the as-received (AR) jacket was independent of the specimen shape. However, after cold working and aging, the EL of the specimens deteriorated because of sensitization, and the EL distribution in these specimens was larger than that in the case of the AR specimens. It could be inferred that the shape of a test specimen having low ductility is the key determinant of the specimen's susceptibility to fracture.

Reliable chronic operation of implantable medical devices such as the Utah Electrode Array (UEA) for neural interface requires elimination of transcutaneous wire connections for signal processing, powering and communication of the device. A wireless power source that allows integration with the UEA is therefore necessary. While (rechargeable) micro batteries as well as biological micro fuel cells are yet far from meeting the power density and lifetime requirements of an implantable neural interface device, inductive coupling between two coils is a promising approach to power such a device with highly restricted dimensions. The power receiving coils presented in this paper were designed to maximize the inductance and quality factor of the coils and microfabricated using polymer based thin film technologies. A flexible configuration of stacked thin film coils allows parallel and serial switching, thereby allowing to tune the coil’s resonance frequency. The electrical properties of the fabricated coils were characterized and their power transmission performance was investigated in laboratory condition. PMID:18438447

During the last years, two cyanate ester epoxy blends supplied by European and US industry have been successfully qualified for the ITER TF coil insulation. The results of the qualification of a third CE blend supplied by Industrial Summit Technology (IST, Japan) will be presented in this paper. Sets of test samples were fabricated exactly under the same conditions as used before. The reinforcement of the composite consists of wrapped R-glass / polyimide tapes, which are vacuum pressure impregnated with the resin. The mechanical properties of this material were characterized prior to and after reactor irradiation to a fast neutron fluence of 2×1022m-2 (E>0.1 MeV), i.e. twice the ITER design fluence. Static and dynamic tensile as well as static short beam shear tests were carried out at 77 K. In addition, stress strain relations were recorded to determine the Young's modulus at room temperature and at 77 K. The results are compared in detail with the previously qualified materials from other suppliers.

A wireless power transfer system based on the weakly inductive coupling makes it possible to provide the endoscope microrobot (EMR) with infinite power. To facilitate the patients' inspection with the EMR system, the diameter of the transmitting coil is enlarged to 69 cm. Due to the large transmitting range, a high quality factor of the Litz-wire transmitting coil is a necessity to ensure the intensity of magnetic field generated efficiently. Thus, this paper builds an analytical model of the transmitting coil, and then, optimizes the parameters of the coil by enlarging the quality factor. The lumped model of the transmitting coil includes three parameters: ac resistance, self-inductance, and stray capacitance. Based on the exact two-dimension solution, the accurate analytical expression of ac resistance is derived. Several transmitting coils of different specifications are utilized to verify this analytical expression, being in good agreements with the measured results except the coils with a large number of strands. Then, the quality factor of transmitting coils can be well predicted with the available analytical expressions of self- inductance and stray capacitance. Owing to the exact estimation of quality factor, the appropriate coil turns of the transmitting coil is set to 18-40 within the restrictions of transmitting circuit and human tissue issues. To supply enough energy for the next generation of the EMR equipped with a Ø9.5×10.1 mm receiving coil, the coil turns of the transmitting coil is optimally set to 28, which can transfer a maximum power of 750 mW with the remarkable delivering efficiency of 3.55%. PMID:26292335

This paper describes an IPT (Inductive Power Transfer) system for body worn electronics, and investigates the challenges for an IPT system that arise specifically in this scenario. Principally, these are: highly variable coil coupling through time-varying miss-alignment and coil separation; a requirement that one or both of the coils must be wearable and thus flexible; and proximity to the human body introducing limits on the maximum EM field. The highly variable coupling results in a system that must operate effectively with a large range of received powers, whilst the constraints on the realisation of the coils typically reduce the Q-factor; the human exposure considerations limit both the maximum field strengths that the wearer of a receiver coil might experience, and also the field strengths that a 3rd party might be exposed to, for instance when approaching the transmit coil.

In the framework of the ITER qualification tests, the first China TF conductor sample (CNTF1) was tested at the SULTAN facility. The sample was made of two TF conductor sections manufactured from identical internal stannum strands provided by the Oxford Superconducting technology company (OST). In order to evaluate the conductor performance, the current sharing temperature (Tcs) was measured at specified electromagnetic load cycling steps. Both conductor sections of the CNTF1 sample showed identical performance. Tcs was 7.2 K before cycling loading, and 6.9 K even after 950 cycles, without significant degradation, which substantially exceeds the ITER requirement of 5.7 K. The tests of the CNTF1 conductor sample showed that the electromagnetic cyclic load exhibited a negligible effect on the conductor performance. The coupling time constant θ for AC loss was 214 ms and 71.52 ms before and after the cycling load, respectively. The test results of the sample are compared with the strand performance and parameter model analysis.

Near-field inductive coupling is a commonly used technique for wireless power transfer (WPT) in biomedical implants. Owing to the close proximity of the implant coil(s) with the tissue ( ∼1 mm) and high current ( ∼100-300 mA) in the magnetic coil(s), a significant induced electric field can be generated for the operating frequency (1-20 MHz). In this Letter, a multi-coil-based WPT technique is proposed to selectively control the currents in the external and implant coils to reduce the specific absorption rate (SAR). A three-coil WPT system, that can achieve 26% reduction in peak 1-g SAR and 15% reduction in peak 10-g SAR, as compared to a two-coil WPT system with the same dimensions, is implemented and used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. To achieve the seamless design for the external and implant electronics, the multi-coil system achieves the same voltage gain and bandwidth as the two-coil design with 46% improvement in the power transfer efficiency. PMID:26609371

Near-field inductive coupling is a commonly used technique for wireless power transfer (WPT) in biomedical implants. Owing to the close proximity of the implant coil(s) with the tissue ( ∼1 mm) and high current ( ∼100–300 mA) in the magnetic coil(s), a significant induced electric field can be generated for the operating frequency (1–20 MHz). In this Letter, a multi-coil-based WPT technique is proposed to selectively control the currents in the external and implant coils to reduce the specific absorption rate (SAR). A three-coil WPT system, that can achieve 26% reduction in peak 1-g SAR and 15% reduction in peak 10-g SAR, as compared to a two-coil WPT system with the same dimensions, is implemented and used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. To achieve the seamless design for the external and implant electronics, the multi-coil system achieves the same voltage gain and bandwidth as the two-coil design with 46% improvement in the power transfer efficiency.

A non-contacting position sensing apparatus includes at least one vehicle-mounted receiver coil that is configured to detect a net flux null when the vehicle is optimally aligned relative to the primary coil in the charging device. Each of the at least one vehicle-mounted receiver coil includes a clockwise winding loop and a counterclockwise winding loop that are substantially symmetrically configured and serially connected to each other. When the non-contacting position sensing apparatus is located directly above the primary coil of the charging device, the electromotive forces from the clockwise winding loop and the counterclockwise region cancel out to provide a zero electromotive force, i.e., a zero voltage reading across the coil that includes the clockwise winding loop and the counterclockwise winding loop.

The maximum deliverable power through inductive link to the implantable device is limited by the tissue exposure to the electromagnetic field radiation. By moving away the transmitter coil from the body, the maximum deliverable power is increased as the magnitude of the electrical field at the interface with the body is kept constant. We demonstrate that the optimal distance between the transmitter coil and the body is on the order of 1 cm when the current of the transmitter coil is limited to 1 A. We also confirm that the conditions on the optimal frequency of the power transmission and the topology of the transmission coil remain the same as if the coil was directly adjacent to the body. PMID:25571496

The design of a twin coil 2 × 200 kJ-1 MW pulse power high temperature superconductor (HTS) superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) demonstrator is presented. Its aim is to test at small scale various possibilities of electromagnetic launcher powering. The foreseen operation modes include high voltage discharge in power capacitors, sequential discharges of identical energies from two coupled coils, and XRAM current multiplication. Special attention was paid to the arrangement of the coils for the energies discharged to be equal. The coils are cooled by conduction from three cryocoolers; the thermal design was optimized in order to maintain the coils around 15 K in spite of the high number of current leads required for XRAM operation (eight). Preliminary tests of the demonstrator are also presented, showing that the thermal and electrical characteristics are in very good agreement with the design objectives.

The next-generation retinal prostheses feature high image resolution and chronic implantation. These features demand the delivery of power as high as 100 mW to be wireless and efficient. A common solution is the 2-coil inductive power link, used by current retinal prostheses. This power link tends to include a larger-size extraocular receiver coil coupled to the external transmitter coil, and the receiver coil is connected to the intraocular electrodes through a trans-sclera trans-choroid cable. In the long-term implantation of the device, the cable may cause hypotony (low intraocular pressure) and infection. However, when a 2-coil system is constructed from a small-size intraocular receiver coil, the efficiency drops drastically which may induce over heat dissipation and electromagnetic field exposure. Our previous 2-coil system achieved only 7% power transfer. This paper presents a fully intraocular and highly efficient wireless power transfer system, by introducing another inductive coupling link to bypass the trans-sclera trans-choroid cable. With the specific equivalent load of our customized 512-electrode stimulator, the current 3-coil inductive link was measured to have the overall power transfer efficiency around 36%, with 1-inch separation in saline. The high efficiency will favorably reduce the heat dissipation and electromagnetic field exposure to surrounding human tissues. The effect of the eyeball rotation on the power transfer efficiency was investigated as well. The efficiency can still maintain 14.7% with left and right deflection of 30 degree during normal use. The surgical procedure for the coils' implantation into the porcine eye was also demonstrated. PMID:23367438

The energy loss rate of runaway electrons (RE) was analysed for ITER plasma facing components materials (Be and W). The stopping power, the energy deposition profiles, and the material erosion are estimated by using the codes MEMOS and ENDEP. The latter has been updated by including the effect of the target's polarizability. Our calculations show that this effect is significant for high RE energies and low Z materials such as Be. We also find that the conversion of the RE's magnetic energy into heat can explain the temperature rise on dump plate in JET. In the case of ITER, the calculated heat deposition due to RE is almost two times the melting threshold energy of Be but well below that of W.

The parametric considerations which led to the UWTOR-M reference design point are described. The design has 18 twisted coils utilizing a multipolarity of 3, a major radius of 24 m, a coil radius of 4.77 m and a plasma aspect ratio of 14. An assumed (ALPHA) of 5% was used. This configuration leads to a rotational transform on the edge of 1.125 giving favorable plasma physics conditions. The natural stellarator divertor is used for impurity control in conjunction with innovative high performance divertor targets. A unique blanket design which minimizes tritium inventory in the reactor is proposed. A scheme for servicing the first wall/blanket and other reactor components is described.

Designing a wireless power transmission system(WPTS) using inductive coupling has been investigated extensively in the last decade. Depending on the different configurations of the coupling system, there have been various designing methods to optimise the power transmission efficiency based on the tuning circuitry, quality factor optimisation and geometrical configuration. Recently, a 3-coil WPTS was introduced in retinal prosthesis to overcome the low power transferring efficiency due to low coupling coefficient. Here we present a method to analyse this 3-coil WPTS using the S-parameters to directly obtain maximum achievable power transferring efficiency. Through electromagnetic simulation, we brought a question on the condition of improvement using 3-coil WPTS in powering retinal prosthesis. PMID:25571390

This paper presents an analysis of H-field generated by a simple solenoid, pair of solenoids, pair of double-layer solenoids, segmented-solenoid, and Helmholtz power transmission coils (PTCs) to power an endoscopic wireless capsule (WC). The H-fields were computed using finite element analysis based on partial differential equations. Three parameters were considered in the analysis: i) the maximum level of H-field (Hmax) to which the patient's body would be exposed, ii) the minimum level of H-field (Hmin) effective for power transmission, and iii) uniformity of H-field. We validated our analysis by comparing the computed data with data measured from a fabricated Helmholtz PTC. This analysis disclosed that at the same excitation power, all the PTCs are able to transfer same amount of minimum usable power since they generated almost equal value of Hmin. The level of electromagnetic exposure and power transfer stability across all the PTCs would vary significantly which is mainly due to the different level of Hmax and H-field uniformity. The segmented solenoid PTC would cause the lowest exposure and this PTC can transfer the maximum amount of power. The Helmholtz PTC would be able to transfer the most stable power with a moderate level of exposure. PMID:26736743

In this paper, the planar micro-nano-coils (PMNCs) with diverse planar spiral structures are designed for electrically driving and controlling liquid crystal microlenses (LCMs) based on wireless power transmission approaches. The PMNCs with different basic shapes are fabricated, including typical micro-triangle, micro-square, micro-pentagon, micro-hexagon, and micro-circle. According to the designed microstructures, using loop iterative approximation means based on Greenhouse algorithm, the inductance values of the microcoils can be calculated through combining self-inductance with mutual-inductance. In experiments, both the wet and dry etching technologies are adapted to obtain the desired PMNCs over aluminum-coated glass substrates. The etching technologies utilized by us are implemented on initial glass substrates spread by photoresist mask, which has been processed by common ultraviolet lithography. And the wet and dry etching technologies are different in the way of eroding aluminum film. Usually, the wet etching is a kind of the chemical reaction of alkali element in the developing liquid used, but the dry etching is a type of physical etching process such as the ion beam etching so as to fabricate microstructures with smaller size than that of wet etching. After the fabrication of the PMNCs, the electrical testing circuit for the inductance of the PMNCs is built to obtain their actual inductance values. By comparing inductances with theoretical prediction, the improved PMNCs are proposed for driving and controlling LCMs, which demonstrates enhanced light transmission efficiency of the PMNCs, and makes it more efficient to adjust LCMs developed by us.

Thermoelectric power, S, of graphene supported on SiO{sub 2} substrate is studied for 10K < T < 400K within the framework of Boltzmann transport formalism by an iterative method. Numerical calculations of diffusion thermopower, S{sub d}, as a function of temperature, are presented assuming the electrons to be scattered by impurities, vacancies, surface roughness, acoustic phonons, inelastic optical phonons and surface polar optical phonons. For the range of temperatures considered, S{sub d} is found to be dominated by impurities for T < 40K and by acoustic phonon and vacancy scatterings for T > 40K. The optical phonons are found to influence S{sub d} for T > 300K. Our calculations, assuming the drag component to be negligible, obtain good agreement with the recent experimental data.

Printed Spiral Coil (PSC) is a coil antenna for near-field wireless power transmission to the next generation implant medical devices. PSC for implant medical device should be power efficient and low electromagnetic radiation to human tissues. We utilized a physical model of printed spiral coil and applied our algorithm to design PSC operating at 13.56 MHz. Numerical and electromagnetic simulation of power transfer efficiency of PSC in air medium is 77.5% and 71.1%, respectively. The simulation results show that the printed spiral coil which is optimized for air will keep 15.2% power transfer efficiency in human subcutaneous tissues. In addition, the Specific Absorption Ratio (SAR) for this coil antenna in subcutaneous at 13.56 MHz is below 1.6 W/Kg, which suggests this coil is implantable safe based on IEEE C95.1 safety guideline. PMID:22255221

Electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) is one of the most versatile methods used to control the wettability of liquids using electrical input. In most applications, EWOD is applied using physical wiring, which may restrict its application to implantable EWOD devices. In order to resolve this issue, we have studied and developed a wirelessly powered EWOD by using planar coils at the receiver that are fabricated out of a printed circuit board (PCB) by means of standard micro photolithography. Unlike conventional, bulky, spool coil type, the planar coil type lends itself to compact design and easy integration with EWOD chips. The present wireless powering principle is based on magnetic induction, which is very efficient when the transmitter and receiver coils are close to each other. The voltage obtained at the receiver is much higher than typically required EWOD voltages (>50 V) using a high transmission frequency (~MHz). The span of the EWOD contact angle is over 40°. In addition, amplitude modulation (AM) is implemented in the present wireless powering setup, followed by demodulation, in order to oscillate droplets at low frequency. This technique ensures smooth and reliable droplet movements. The wirelessly powered EWOD is used to transport a droplet and is mounted in a mini-boat which it powers and propels.

A set of facility upgrades for Pegasus is currently underway to improve the control and performance of the power systems and the magnetic field coils, with the aim of increased helicity-driven current drive for non-inductive startup. The plasma current achieved through helicity injection goes as √ITF Iinj , the toroidal field rod current and injector bias current, respectively. To increase this quantity, the toroidal field power system will be upgraded. Eight new high-current IGBT bridges will replace the 6 bridges currently in place, bringing ITF from 288 kA-turns to 600 kA-turns. Iinj is increased via a new 14 kA, 2.2 kV, single-quadrant IGCT switching power supply. The main poloidal field coil system is expanded to provide faster vertical field penetration of the vessel wall, thereby providing more flexible control of plasma position during startup and current growth. The L/R time for these coils is reduced by ˜40%. New divertor coils are being installed to provide more shaping flexibility and separatrix-limited operations. Overall power supply control will be improved and simplified by deployment of digital feedback controllers using Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) to replace PWM analog feedback controllers. FPGAs will provide faster control frequencies, improved fault-handling capability, and streamlined recording of power system operations.

Transcutaneous energy transfer system (TETS) is widely used to energize implantable biomedical devices. As a key part of the TETS, a pair of applicable coils with low losses, high unloaded Q factor, and strong coupling is required to realize an efficient TETS. This article presents an optimal design methodology of planar litz wire coils sandwiched between two ferrite substrates wirelessly powering a novel mechanical artificial anal sphincter system for treating severe fecal incontinence, with focus on the main parameters of the coils such as the wire diameter, number of turns, geometry, and the properties of the ferrite substrate. The theoretical basis of optimal power transfer efficiency in an inductive link was analyzed. A set of analytical expressions are outlined to calculate the winding resistance of a litz wire coil on ferrite substrate, taking into account eddy-current losses, including conduction losses and induction losses. Expressions that describe the geometrical dimension dependence of self- and mutual inductance are derived. The influence of ferrite substrate relative permeability and dimensions is also considered. We have used this foundation to devise an applicable coil design method that starts with a set of realistic constraints and ends with the optimal coil pair geometries. All theoretical predictions are verified with measurements using different types of fabricated coils. The results indicate that the analysis is useful for optimizing the geometry design of windings and the ferrite substrate in a sandwich structure as part of which, in addition to providing design insight, allows speeding up the system efficiency-optimizing design process. PMID:25808086

Profiles of the ratio of fusion power and the auxiliary heating power q DT are calculated for the TFTR and JET discharges with the highest neutron emission rates, and are predicted for ITER. Core values above 1.3 for JET and 0.8 for TFTR are obtained. Values above 20 are predicted for ITER baseline plasmas.

In a wireless power transfer (WPT) system, misalignment between transmitter and receiver coils is one of the key factors affecting efficiency. Recently, metamaterials have shown great potential to enhance electromagnetic propagation in various environments. In this work, we apply a metamaterial to enhance the WPT in a more general environment where misalignment is considered. Using an anisotropic metamaterial, we obtain a significant efficiency enhancement. Therefore, we propose that the metamaterial is an effective means to mitigate the decreased efficiency caused by misalignment. In addition, we investigate the effect of coil misalignment on the threshold distance beyond which the metamaterial enhances the performance of WPT.

The ITER shear key system is designed to interconnect neighboring toroidal field coils at their inner portions. Due to these keys the coils inner portions resist the torque as a whole structure. On the other hand, the ITER magnet system design provides supporting of the centering load on the TFC by a buckling cylinder. Hence, the keys should not produce any significant wedging during the radial movement of the coils. Numerical modeling of the so called scissors` action keys that satisfy above requirements has been performed with assembly gaps being taking into account. Cooldown, TFC energizing and poloidal fields coils pulse regimes have been studied. Since the TFC torsion produces high cyclic compression on the key ground insulation, the electrical insulation testing is required. Two mock-up systems for this testing have been proposed and modeled. One system models an effect of the TFC radial movement resulting in higher peak compression on the insulation.

A new 4-MW inductor-converter bridge (ICB) for supplying power to pulsed superconducting magnets is under construction at Argonne National Laoratory. This is a second-generation ICB built at Argonne Lab. The analytical, design, and control techniques developed for the first prototype have been used in the design of the new system. The paper presents the important considerations in the design of the new ICB. A brief description of the operation of the circuit is also given.

This article presents a hand-held electromagnetic energy harvester which can be used to harvest tens of mW power level from human body motion. A magnet array, aligned to a coil array for maximum magnetic flux change, is suspended by a magnetic spring for a resonant frequency of several Hz and is stabilized horizontally by graphite sheets for reducing the friction. An analytical model of vibration-driven energy harvester with magnetic spring through magnet and coil arrays is developed to explore the power generation from vibrations at low frequency and large amplitude. When the energy harvester (occupying 120 cc and weighing 180 g) is placed in a backpack of a human walking at various speeds, the power output increases as the walking speed increases from 0.45 m/s (slow walking) to 3.58 m/s (slow running), and reaches 32 mW at 3.58 m/s.

Purpose We investigated global specific absorption rate (SAR) and radiofrequency (RF) power requirements in parallel transmission as the distance between the transmit coils and the sample was increased. Methods We calculated ultimate intrinsic SAR (UISAR), which depends on object geometry and electrical properties but not on coil design, and we used it as the reference to compare the performance of various transmit arrays. We investigated the case of fixing coil size and increasing the number of coils while moving the array away from the sample, as well as the case of fixing coil number and scaling coil dimensions. We also investigated RF power requirements as a function of liftoff, and tracked local SAR distributions associated with global SAR optima. Results In all cases, the target excitation profile was achieved and global SAR (as well as associated maximum local SAR) decreased with lift-off, approaching UISAR, which was constant for all lift-offs. We observed a lift-off value that optimizes the balance between global SAR and power losses in coil conductors. We showed that, using parallel transmission, global SAR can decrease at ultra high fields for finite arrays with a sufficient number of transmit elements. Conclusion For parallel transmission, the distance between coils and object can be optimized to reduce SAR and minimize RF power requirements associated with homogeneous excitation. PMID:25752250

In this paper employing double layer printed spiral coils (PSCs) is proposed for wireless power transmission in implantable biomedical applications. Detailed modeling of this type of PSCs is presented. Both calculations and measurements of fabricated double layer PSCs indicate that this structure can decrease the size of typical single layer PSCs without any change in the most important parameters of the coils, such as quality factor. Also, it is shown that with equal PSC dimensions and design parameters, double layer PSCs achieve significantly higher inductances and quality factors. Ultimately, a pair of double layer PSCs with a distance of 5 mm in air is used in an inductive link. The power transfer efficiency of this link is about 79.8% with a carrier frequency of 5 MHz and coupling coefficient of 0.189. PMID:22254943

Dryout phenomena have been experimentally investigated in a helically coiled steam generator tube. The experiences carried out in the present work are part of a wide experimental program devoted to the study of a GEN III+ innovative nuclear power plant [1].The experimental facility consists in an electrically heated AISI 316L stainless steel coiled tube. The tube is 32 meters long, 12.53 mm of inner diameter, with a coil diameter of 1m and a pitch of 0.79 m, resulting in a total height of the steam generator of 8 meters. The thermo-hydraulics conditions for dryout investigations covered a spectrum of mass fluxes between 199 and 810 kg/m2s, the pressures ranges from 10.7 to 60.7 bar, heat fluxes between 43.6 to 209.3 kW/m2.Very high first qualities dryout, between 0.72 and 0.92, were found in the range of explored conditions, comparison of our results with literature available correlations shows the difficulty in predicting high qualities dryout in helical coils., immediately following the heading. The text should be set to 1.15 line spacing. The abstract should be centred across the page, indented 15 mm from the left and right page margins and justified. It should not normally exceed 200 words.

Commercial introduction of Microhole Technology to the gas and oil drilling industry requires an effective downhole drive mechanism which operates efficiently at relatively high RPM and low bit weight for delivering efficient power to the special high RPM drill bit for ensuring both high penetration rate and long bit life. This project entails developing and testing a more efficient 2-7/8 in. diameter Turbodrill and a novel 4-1/8 in. diameter drill bit for drilling with coiled tubing. The high-power Turbodrill were developed to deliver efficient power, and the more durable drill bit employed high-temperature cutters that can more effectively drill hard and abrasive rock. This project teams Schlumberger Smith Neyrfor and Smith Bits, and NASA AMES Research Center with Technology International, Inc (TII), to deliver a downhole, hydraulically-driven power unit, matched with a custom drill bit designed to drill 4-1/8 in. boreholes with a purpose-built coiled tubing rig. The U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory has funded Technology International Inc. Houston, Texas to develop a higher power Turbodrill and drill bit for use in drilling with a coiled tubing unit. This project entails developing and testing an effective downhole drive mechanism and a novel drill bit for drilling 'microholes' with coiled tubing. The new higher power Turbodrill is shorter, delivers power more efficiently, operates at relatively high revolutions per minute, and requires low weight on bit. The more durable thermally stable diamond drill bit employs high-temperature TSP (thermally stable) diamond cutters that can more effectively drill hard and abrasive rock. Expectations are that widespread adoption of microhole technology could spawn a wave of 'infill development' drilling of wells spaced between existing wells, which could tap potentially billions of barrels of bypassed oil at shallow depths in mature producing areas. At the same time, microhole coiled tube

The MIST code has been used to model impurity radiation from the edge and core plasmas in ITER and CIT. A broad range of parameters have been varied, including Z{sub eff}, impurity species, impurity transport coefficients, and plasma temperature and density profiles, especially at the edge. For a set of these parameters representative of the baseline ITER ignition scenario, it is seen that impurity radiation, which is produced in roughly equal amounts by the edge and core regions, can make a major improvement in divertor operation without compromising core energy confinement. Scalings of impurity radiation with atomic number and machine size are also discussed.

Based on a representation of FQPSK as a trellis-coded modulation, this paper investigates the potential improvement in power efficiency obtained from the application of simple outer codes to form a concatenated coding arrangement with iterative decoding.

Voltage sag from sudden increasing loads is one of the major problems in the utility network. In order to compensate the voltage sag problem, power compensation devices have widely been developed. In the case of voltage sag, it needs an energy source to overcome the energy caused by voltage sag. According as the SMES device is characterized by its very high response time of charge and discharge, it has widely been researched and developed for more than 20 years. However, before the installation of SMES into utility, the system analysis has to be carried out with a certain simulation tool. This paper presents a real-time simulation algorithm for the SMES system by using the miniaturized SMES model coil whose properties are same as those of real size SMES coil. With this method, researchers can easily analyse the performance of SMES connected into utility network by abstracting the properties from the real modeled SMES coil and using the virtual simulated power network in RSCAD/RTDS.

This paper presents the new form of coils for electromagnetic energy harvesting system based on topology optimization method which look-liked a cap to maximize the power output. It could increase the number of magnetic flux linkage interception of a cylindrical permanent magnet which in this case is of 10mm diameter. Several coils with different geometrical properties have been build and tested on a vibration generator with frequency of 100Hz. The results showed that the coil with lowest number of winding transduced highest power output of 680μW while the highest number of windings generated highest voltage output of 0.16V.

In order to advance the research on suppressing tearing modes and driving plasma rotation, a DC power supply (PS) system has been developed for dynamic resonant magnetic perturbation (DRMP) coils and applied in the J-TEXT experiment. To enrich experimental phenomena in the J-TEXT tokamak, applying the circulating current four-quadrant operation mode in the DRMP DC PS system is proposed. By using the circulating current four-quadrant operation, DRMP coils can be smoothly controlled without the dead-time when the current polarity reverses. Essential circuit analysis, control optimization and simulation of desired scenarios have been performed for normal current. Relevant simulation and test results are also presented.

Nowadays synchronous generators for wind-mills are developed worldwide. The cost of the generator is determined by its size and weight. In this deal the implementation of HTS-2G generators is very perspective. The application of HTS 2G field coils in the rotor allows to reduce the size of the generator is 1.75 times. In this work the design 1 MW HTS-2G generator is considered. The designed 1 MW HTS-2G generator has the following parameters: rotor diameter 800 mm, active length 400 mm, phase voltage 690V, rotor speed 600 min-1 rotor field coils with HTS-2G tapes. HTS-2G field coils located in the rotating cryostat and cooled by liquid nitrogen. The simulation and optimization of HTS-2G field coils geometry allowed to increase feed DC current up to 50A. Copper stator windings are water cooled. Magnetic and electrical losses in 1 MW HTS-2G generator do not exceed 1.6% of the nominal output power. In the construction of HTS-2G generator the wave multiplier with ratio 1:40 is used. The latter allows to reduce the total mass of HTS-2G generator down to 1.5 tons. The small-scale model of HTS-2G generator with output power 50 kW was designed, manufactured and tested. The test results showed good agreement with calculation results. The manufacturing of 1 MW HTS-2G generator is planned in 2014. This work is done under support of Rosatom within the frames of Russian Project "Superconducting Industry".

In superconducting tokamaks, cryoplants provide the helium needed to cool the superconducting magnet systems. The evaluation of the heat load from the magnets to the cryoplant is fundamental for the design of the latter and the assessment of suitable strategies to smooth the heat load pulses induced by the pulsed plasma scenarios is crucial for the operation. Here, a simplified thermal-hydraulic model of an ITER Toroidal Field (TF) magnet, based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), is developed and inserted into a detailed model of the ITER TF winding and casing cooling circuits based on the state-of-the-art 4C code, which also includes active controls. The low computational effort requested by such a model allows performing a fast parametric study, to identify the best smoothing strategy during standard plasma operation. The ANNs are trained using 4C simulations, and the predictive capabilities of the simplified model are assessed against 4C simulations, both with and without active smoothing, in terms of accuracy and computational time.

Eddy current thermography is a relatively new inspection technique that takes advantage of the electromagnetic induction phenomenon to generate heat in electro conductive materials during inspection. An interesting advantage of eddy current heating compared to classical optical or ultrasonic heating is that the excitation source is smaller and can be conveniently shaped in order to provide energy efficient localized heating. Such excitation source is more suitable for the development of portable instruments and to perform field inspections. In this paper, finite element modeling (FEM) is used to optimize the eddy current coil configuration in terms of heating power efficiency. The performances of air-core coils, normally used in eddy current thermography, and a new field concentrator coil are compared and discussed. FEM results demonstrate that the proposed field concentrator coil improves the magnetic coupling with the inspected material and requires less energy than air-core coils to generate the same temperature variation.

The promise of increased SNR and spatial/spectral resolution continues to drive MR technology toward higher magnetic field strengths. SAR management and B1 inhomogeneity correction become critical issues at the high frequencies associated with high field MR. In recent years, multiple coil excitation techniques have been recognized as potentially powerful tools for controlling SAR while simultaneously compensating for B1 inhomogeneities. This work explores electrodynamic constraints on transmit homogeneity and SAR, for both fully parallel transmission and its time-independent special case known as RF shimming. Ultimate intrinsic SAR – the lowest possible SAR consistent with electrodynamics for a particular excitation profile but independent of transmit coil design – is studied for different field strengths, object sizes and pulse acceleration factors. The approach to the ultimate intrinsic limit with increasing numbers of finite transmit coils is also studied, and the tradeoff between homogeneity and SAR is explored for various excitation strategies. In the case of fully parallel transmission, ultimate intrinsic SAR shows flattening or slight reduction with increasing field strength, in contradiction to the traditionally cited quadratic dependency, but consistent with established electrodynamic principles. PMID:19165885

We present a theoretical development and experimental verification of a description of power loss and sample resistance for a lossy sample in a nuclear magnetic resonance radio frequency coil for a sample geometry where the eddy current streamlines are disrupted from their usually assumed circular paths. Specifically treated is the case of a lossy hemisphere. The problem is solved for two orientations; with the induction parallel and perpendicular to the flat surface of the hemisphere. Results of this analysis as well as those for the full sphere as presented by Hoult and Lauterbur are compared with observation for a variety of sample conductivities and orientation. PMID:2811760

We report the use of a multi-layer printed coil circuit for powering (36–94 mW) an implantable microbolus infusion pump (MIP) that can be activated remotely for use in drug infusion in nontethered, freely moving small animals. This implantable device provides a unique experimental tool with applications in the fields of animal behavior, pharmacology, physiology, and functional brain imaging. Two different designs are described: a battery-less pump usable when the animal is inside a home-cage surrounded by a primary inductive coil and a pump powered by a rechargeable battery that can be used for studies outside the homecage. The use of printed coils for powering of small devices by inductive power transfer presents significant advantages over similar approaches using hand-wound coils in terms of ease of manufacturing and uniformity of design. The high efficiency of a class-E oscillator allowed powering of the minipumps without the need for close physical contact of the primary and secondary coils, as is currently the case for most devices powered by inductive power transfer. PMID:20033778

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has developed the prediction method for yield stress and ultimate tensile strength at liquid helium temperature (4 K) using the quadratic curve as a function of the content of carbon and nitrogen. Prediction method was formulated based on the tensile strength data of materials with shape of rectangle. In this study, tensile strength of the forged materials with round bar and complex shape were obtained so as to compare with the predicted value. The accuracy of the prediction method was 10.2% of Yield Strength (YS), 2.5% of Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) when the prediction method was applied to round bar forged materials. By contrast, the accuracy about prediction method was 1.8% of YS, -0.8% of UTS when prediction method was applied to complex shape forged materials. It can be presumed the tendency of tensile strength other than materials with shape of rectangle. However, it was found accuracy of round bar is larger than other materials because of difference in the forging method."The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the ITER Organization"

Online education offers the opportunity to reach a variety of students including non-traditional and geographically diverse students. Research has shown that online courses modeled after traditional lecture-exam courses are ineffective. Over the past three years, Arizona State University developed and offered Habitable Worlds, an online-only astrobiology lab course featuring active learning tools. The course is offered in an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) that records a wealth of student data. In analyzing data from the Fall 2013 offering of the course, we were able to identify pre-post quiz results that were suboptimal and where in the lesson and how precisely students were missing concepts. The problem areas were redesigned, and the improved lessons were deployed a few months later. We saw significant improvements in our pre-post quiz results due to the implemented changes. This demonstrates the effectiveness of using robust ITS not only to present content online, but to provide instantaneous data for rapid iteration and improvement of existing content.

The contactless power transfer (CPT) technology based on strongly coupled electromagnetic resonators has been recently explored to realize the large power delivery and storage without any cable or wire across a large air gap. As the CPT technology makes possible the process of connector-free charging, it has been studied for practical applications to a variety of power applications. In the superconducting magnet system, a widespread method of electric energy supply is realized by the current lead which is one of indispensable subsystems in the power transfer equipment; however, it causes energy losses. To overcome such a problem, the combination CPT technology with HTS receiver coils has been proposed. It is called as, superconducting contactless power transfer (SUCPT) system. Such a technique has been expected a reasonable approach to provide a safe and convenient way of charging or storage without connecting joints in the superconducting applications. In this study, we presented the feasibility and various effects of transmission property from room temperature to very low temperature vessel within 40 cm under different material’s cooling vessels using radio frequency (RF) generator is 370 KHz.

Procurement of a dc -1 MV power supply system for the ITER neutral beam injector (NBI) is shared by Japan and the EU. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency as the Japan Domestic Agency (JADA) for ITER contributes to the procurement of dc -1 MV ultra-high voltage (UHV) components such as a dc -1 MV generator, a transmission line and a -1 MV insulating transformer for the ITER NBI power supply. The inverter frequency of 150 Hz in the -1 MV power supply and major circuit parameters have been proposed and adopted in the ITER NBI. The dc UHV insulation has been carefully designed since dc long pulse insulation is quite different from conventional ac insulation or dc short pulse systems. A multi-layer insulation structure of the transformer for a long pulse up to 3600 s has been designed with electric field simulation. Based on the simulation the overall dimensions of the dc UHV components have been finalized. A surge energy suppression system is also essential to protect the accelerator from electric breakdowns. The JADA contributes to provide an effective surge suppression system composed of core snubbers and resistors. Input energy into the accelerator from the power supply can be reduced to about 20 J, which satisfies the design criteria of 50 J in total in the case of breakdown at -1 MV.

The recent work 'Is the Standard Monte Carlo PowerIteration Approach the Wrong Approach?' speculated that the second eigenfunction could be built using essentially the same 'building brick' approach that obtained the first eigenfunction in LA-UR-12-21928. This note shows that the speculation was at least partially correct, but not complete.

The design and construction of a 4T (170 MHz) transverse electromagnetic (TEM) actively detuneable quadrature head coil is described. Conventional schemes for active detuning require high negative bias voltages (>300 V) to prevent leakage of RF pulses with amplitudes of 1-2 kW. To extend the power handling capacity and avoid the use of high DC bias voltages, we developed an alternate method of detuning the volume coil. In this method the PIN diodes in the detuning circuits are shorted when the RF volume coil is tuned, and negatively biased with -12 V when the coil is detuned. To preserve the high Q(U)/Q(L) ratio of the TEM coil, we modified the method of Nabetani and Watkins (Proceedings of the 13th Annual Meeting of ISMRM, Kyoto, Japan, 2004, abstract 1574) by utilizing a high-impedance (approximately 200 Omega), lumped-element, quarter-wavelength transformer. A Q(U) of 500 was achieved for the detuneable TEM, such that incorporation of the detuning network had minimal effect (<1 dB) on the performance of the coil in vivo. PMID:17534919

ITER represents the next step towards practical magnetic confinement fusion power. Its primary physics objective is to study plasmas in which the fusion power exceeds the external heating power by a factor of 5 to 10; its technological objectives include the use of superconducting magnets and remote maintenance. We will describe the ITER experiment and then detail the fundamental roles that will be played by atomic physics processes in facilitating the achievement of ITER's objectives. First, atoms and molecules generated by the interaction of the ITER plasma with surrounding material surfaces will impact and, in some respects, dominate the particle, momentum, and energy balances in both the adjacent and confined, core plasmas. Second, impurity radiation in the edge plasma, either from intrinsic or extrinsic species, will ensure that heat coming out from the core is spread more uniformly over the surrounding material surfaces than it would otherwise. Third, many of the diagnostics used to monitor the dense (ne ˜ 1020 m-3), hot (˜ 1 × 108 K) core plasma leverage off of atomic physics effects.

In JAEA, research and developments to realize high power accelerator (1 MeV, 40 AD- ion beams for 3600 s) for ITER have been carried out experimentally and numerically utilizing a five stage MAMuG (Multiaperture, Multigrid) accelerator. In this paper, the extension of the gap length, which is required to improve the voltage holding capability, is examined in two dimensional beam optics analyses and also from view point of stripping loss of ions. In order to suppress excess power loadings due to the direct interception of negative ions, which is issued in long pulse tests, the beamlet deflection is analyzed in three dimensional multibeamlet analyses. The necessary modifications shown above are applied to the MAMuG accelerator for coming long pulse tests in JAEA and ITER.

As computing devices, which process data and interconvert information, transducers can encode new information and use their output for subsequent computing, offering high computational power that may be equivalent to a universal Turing machine. We report on an experimental DNA-based molecular transducer that computes iteratively and produces biologically relevant outputs. As a proof of concept, the transducer accomplished division of numbers by 3. The iterativepower was demonstrated by a recursive application on an obtained output. This device reads plasmids as input and processes the information according to a predetermined algorithm, which is represented by molecular software. The device writes new information on the plasmid using hardware that comprises DNA-manipulating enzymes. The computation produces dual output: a quotient, represented by newly encoded DNA, and a remainder, represented by E. coli phenotypes. This device algorithmically manipulates genetic codes. PMID:23706637

In JAEA, research and developments to realize high power accelerator (1 MeV, 40 AD(-) ion beams for 3600 s) for ITER have been carried out experimentally and numerically utilizing a five stage MAMuG (Multiaperture, Multigrid) accelerator. In this paper, the extension of the gap length, which is required to improve the voltage holding capability, is examined in two dimensional beam optics analyses and also from view point of stripping loss of ions. In order to suppress excess power loadings due to the direct interception of negative ions, which is issued in long pulse tests, the beamlet deflection is analyzed in three dimensional multibeamlet analyses. The necessary modifications shown above are applied to the MAMuG accelerator for coming long pulse tests in JAEA and ITER. PMID:20192419

High power, long pulse millimeter (mm) wave experiments of the RF test stand (RFTS) of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) were performed. The system consists of a 1 MW/170 GHz gyrotron, a long and short distance transmission line (TL), and an equatorial launcher (EL) mock-up. The RFTS has an ITER-relevant configuration, i.e., consisted by a 1 MW-170 GHz gyrotron, a mm wave TL, and an EL mock-up. The TL is composed of a matching optics unit, evacuated circular corrugated waveguides, 6-miter bends, an in-line waveguide switch, and an isolation valve. The EL-mock-up is fabricated according to the current design of the ITER launcher. The Gaussian-like beam radiation with the steering capability of 20°-40° from the EL mock-up was also successfully proved. The high power, long pulse power transmission test was conducted with the metallic load replaced by the EL mock-up, and the transmission of 1 MW/800 s and 0.5 MW/1000 s was successfully demonstrated with no arcing and no damages. The transmission efficiency of the TL was 96%. The results prove the feasibility of the ITER electron cyclotron heating and current drive system. PMID:21721690

High power, long pulse millimeter (mm) wave experiments of the RF test stand (RFTS) of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) were performed. The system consists of a 1 MW/170 GHz gyrotron, a long and short distance transmission line (TL), and an equatorial launcher (EL) mock-up. The RFTS has an ITER-relevant configuration, i.e., consisted by a 1 MW-170 GHz gyrotron, a mm wave TL, and an EL mock-up. The TL is composed of a matching optics unit, evacuated circular corrugated waveguides, 6-miter bends, an in-line waveguide switch, and an isolation valve. The EL-mock-up is fabricated according to the current design of the ITER launcher. The Gaussian-like beam radiation with the steering capability of 20 deg. - 40 deg. from the EL mock-up was also successfully proved. The high power, long pulse power transmission test was conducted with the metallic load replaced by the EL mock-up, and the transmission of 1 MW/800 s and 0.5 MW/1000 s was successfully demonstrated with no arcing and no damages. The transmission efficiency of the TL was 96%. The results prove the feasibility of the ITER electron cyclotron heating and current drive system.

A global (volume-averaged) model of a gridded-ion thruster is proposed. The neutral propellant (xenon gas) is injected into the thruster chamber at a fixed rate and a plasma is generated by circulating a radiofrequency current in an inductive coil. The ions generated in this plasma are accelerated out of the thruster by a pair of DC biased grids. The neutralization downstream is not treated. Xenon atoms also flow out of the thruster across the grids. The model, based on particle and energy balance equations, solves for four global variables in the thruster chamber: the plasma density, the electron temperature, the neutral gas (atom) density, and the neutral gas temperature. The important quantities to evaluate the thruster efficiency and performances are calculated from these variables and from the voltage across the grids. It is found that the mass utilization efficiency rapidly decreases with the gas flow rate. However, the radiofrequency power transfer efficiency increases significantly with the injected gas flow rate. Therefore, there is a compromise to be found between these two quantities.

The EC H&CD system of ITER tokamak is an essential tool for all the phases of ITER operation. Different levels of EC power are required through all the plasma discharge: up to 6.7 MW for assisting the breakdown and burn through, up to 20 MW for current drive and saw-teeth control from the equatorial launcher and up to 20 MW for NTM stabilization from the upper launchers. The assistance to breakdown and burn through is characterized by a very low (if not negligible) RF power absorption by the plasma. A significant level of stray radiation may also arise from partial absorption due to non-optimal plasma parameters and/or wrong injected polarization. The stray power radiated in the vacuum chamber is estimated as a first step toward mitigating potential harmful consequence to in-vessel structures and diagnostics. Power loading of the chamber walls (peek power and average power density for straight beam propagation in the empty chamber) and diffuse stray radiation effects are simulated to infer suitable strategies to avoid damage to first wall and to microwave sensitive components.

The EC H and CD system of ITER tokamak is an essential tool for all the phases of ITER operation. Different levels of EC power are required through all the plasma discharge: up to 6.7 MW for assisting the breakdown and burn through, up to 20 MW for current drive and saw-teeth control from the equatorial launcher and up to 20 MW for NTM stabilization from the upper launchers. The assistance to breakdown and burn through is characterized by a very low (if not negligible) RF power absorption by the plasma. A significant level of stray radiation may also arise from partial absorption due to non-optimal plasma parameters and/or wrong injected polarization. The stray power radiated in the vacuum chamber is estimated as a first step toward mitigating potential harmful consequence to in-vessel structures and diagnostics. Power loading of the chamber walls (peek power and average power density for straight beam propagation in the empty chamber) and diffuse stray radiation effects are simulated to infer suitable strategies to avoid damage to first wall and to microwave sensitive components.

The poweriteration method is the standard Monte Carlo approach for obtaining the eigenfunctions of a nuclear system, but the power method sometimes converges very slowly. Most discussions give a mathematical reason for the slow convergence of the Monte Carlo power method using the same concepts and terminology as when the power method is applied to a deterministic problem. This note first looks at why the convergence is slow from an intuitive Monte Carlo neutron perspective. Second, this note proposes building an eigenfunction intuitively in a cumulative (and noniterative) neutron by neutron manner that tends to better direct neutrons to where the neutrons need to be. Third, a very similar method for building the second eigenfunction is speculatively proposed.

Comparison of all known calibration sources indicates that coiled standards of spectral irradiance, despite their very non-uniform brightness, are currently the best practical choice for accurate shock temperature measurements above 3000 K by optical pyrometry. We review all three documented methods of shock pyrometer calibration to a coiled lamp and show that only one technique, with no fiber-optics employed, is free of major radiometric errors. We report the development of a new, accurate to 5% and precise to 1-1.5% calibration procedure for the modified Caltech 6-channel, 3-ns temporal resolution combined open beam and fiber-coupled instrument. A designated central area of an 0.7x demagnified image of 900 W coiled-coil lamp filament is used, cross-calibrated against a NIST-traceable tungsten ribbon lamp. The results of two slightly different cross-calibrations are reported and the procedure to characterize the difference between the static and dynamic response of NewFocus 1801 amplified photodetectors. The most essential requirements for error-free calibration of a fiber-optic pyrometer using a coiled irradiance standard lamp are discussed. All these conditions are validated in actual radiometric tests and shock temperature experiments on single-crystal NaCl and MgO.

Laboratory generation of strong magnetic fields opens new frontiers in plasma and beam physics, astro- and solar-physics, materials science, and atomic and molecular physics. Although kilotesla magnetic fields have already been produced by magnetic flux compression using an imploding metal tube or plasma shell, accessibility at multiple points and better controlled shapes of the field are desirable. Here we have generated kilotesla magnetic fields using a capacitor-coil target, in which two nickel disks are connected by a U-turn coil. A magnetic flux density of 1.5 kT was measured using the Faraday effect 650 μm away from the coil, when the capacitor was driven by two beams from the GEKKO-XII laser (at 1 kJ (total), 1.3 ns, 0.53 or 1 μm, and 5 × 1016 W/cm2). PMID:23378905

The proper design of birdcage (BC) coils plays a very important role in the acquisition of highresolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of small animals such as rodents. In this context, we investigate multiple-leg (8-, 16-, 32-, 64-, and 128-leg) BC coils operating at ultra-high fields (UHF) of 7.0 T and 11.7 T and a high-field (HF) of 4.7 T for rodent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Primarily, Our study comparatively examines the parameters of the radiofrequency (RF) transmission (|B1 +|)-field, the magnetic flux (|B1|)-field, and RF power deposition (RF-PD) as functions of the number of BC-coil legs via finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) calculations under realistic loading conditions with a biological phantom. In particular, the specific ratio |E/B1 +| is defined for predicting RF-PD values in different coil structures. Our results indicate that the optimal number of legs of the BC coil can be chosen for different resonance frequencies of 200 MHz, 300 MHz, and 500 MHz and that this choice can be lead to superior |B1 +|-field intensity and |B1|-field homogeneity and decreased RF-PD. We believe that our approach to determining the optimal number of legs for a BC coil can contribute to rodent MR imaging.

Previous tests of a High Power Prototype (HPP) comprising one quadrant of the JET ITER-Like ICRF Antenna have indicated the need for some design modifications in order to achieve 10 s pulses coupling the full design power (7.1 MW) into the reference plasma load (R' = 4 {omega}/m). These modifications have now been made to the HPP, as well as to the design of the ITER-Like Antenna itself. In particular, maximum current densities have been reduced or otherwise accommodated in key areas. New current straps for the HPP have been fabricated from stereo-lithography-based investment castings. Design modifications to the antenna enclosure have also been implemented. This work has been materially assisted through the use of CST Microwave Studio (MWS), a commercially available 3-D electromagnetic modeling package. Essentially the full engineering CAD model of the HPP current straps and antenna enclosure has been ex-ported from ProE to MWS. Computed current density profiles have been introduced into an ANSYS thermal model. These activities will be discussed, as well as the current status of the HPP test program.

ITER relies on Ion-cyclotron Radio Frequency (ICRF) power to heat the plasma to fusion temperatures. To heat effectively, the waves must couple efficiently to the core plasma. Recent simulations using AORSA [1] on the 120 TF Cray XT-4 (Jaguar) at ORNL show that the waves propagate radially inward and are rapidly absorbed with little heating of the plasma edge. AORSA has achieved 87.5 trillion calculations per second (87.5 teraflops) on Jaguar, which is 73 percent of the system's theoretical peak. Three dimensional visualizations show ``hot spots'' near the antenna surface where the wave amplitude is high. AORSA simulations are also being used to study how to best use ICRF to drive plasma currents for optimizing ITER performance and pulse length. Results for Scenario 4 show a maximum current of 0.54 MA for 20 MW of power at 57 MHz. [1] E.F. Jaeger, L.A. Berry, E. D'Azevedo, et al., Phys. Plasmas. 8, 1573 (2001).

Sequential control applied to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) poloidal field converter system for the purpose of reactive power reduction is the subject of this investigation. Due to the inherent characteristics of thyristor-based phase-controlled converter, the poloidal field converter system consumes a huge amount of reactive power from the grid, which subsequently results in a voltage drop at the 66 kV busbar if no measure is taken. The installation of a static var compensator rated for 750 MVar at the 66 kV busbar is an essential way to compensate reactive power to the grid, which is the most effective measure to solve the problem. However, sequential control of the multi-series converters provides an additional method to improve the natural power factor and thus alleviate the pressure of reactive power demand of the converter system without any additional cost. In the present paper, by comparing with the symmetrical control technique, the advantage of sequential control in reactive power consumption is highlighted. Simulation results based on SIMULINK are found in agreement with the theoretical analysis.

The choke coil is one of the most advanced of all the magnets in the MINIMARS tandem mirror reactor. Recent developments have enabled the high-field choke coil to be much more compact and consume less power than past designs. There are three main technology areas that have had the greatest impact on the choke coil design: (1) superfluid helium (He-II) at 1.8 K; (2) Nb/sub 3/Sn superconductor; and (3) high-strength alloys for conductor reinforcement. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the 24-T MINIMARS choke coil configuration. It is a hybrid design consisting of a superconducting (S/C) background coil and a normal (N/C) insert coil.

This paper presents a screen printed 2.4 GHz antenna and induction charging coil for an active contact lens with a single large pixel user display and on-board 3.8 V 5 uAh rechargeable battery. The antenna traces are printed using silver conductive paste on a 25 um polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. The incoming signal from the antenna feeds into an IC that amplifies and rectifies the signal. The coil provides wireless energy transfer to inductively charge a thin film battery [1] located on the contact lens. The printed antenna achieved a S11 of -4 dB at 2.4 GHz and a gain of -13 dB. PMID:25571353

An analysis of the effect of distance and alignment between two magnetically coupled coils for wireless power transfer in intraocular pressure measurement is presented. For measurement purposes, a system was fabricated consisting of an external device, which is a Maxwell-Wien bridge circuit variation, in charge of transferring energy to a biomedical implant and reading data from it. The biomedical implant is an RLC tank circuit, encapsulated by a polyimide coating. Power transfer was done by magnetic induction coupling method, by placing one of the inductors of the Maxwell-Wien bridge circuit and the inductor of the implant in close proximity. The Maxwell-Wien bridge circuit was biased with a 10 MHz sinusoidal signal. The analysis presented in this paper proves that wireless transmission of power for intraocular pressure measurement is feasible with the measurement system proposed. In order to have a proper inductive coupling link, special care must be taken when placing the two coils in proximity to avoid misalignment between them. PMID:25097887

An analysis of the effect of distance and alignment between two magnetically coupled coils for wireless power transfer in intraocular pressure measurement is presented. For measurement purposes, a system was fabricated consisting of an external device, which is a Maxwell-Wien bridge circuit variation, in charge of transferring energy to a biomedical implant and reading data from it. The biomedical implant is an RLC tank circuit, encapsulated by a polyimide coating. Power transfer was done by magnetic induction coupling method, by placing one of the inductors of the Maxwell-Wien bridge circuit and the inductor of the implant in close proximity. The Maxwell-Wien bridge circuit was biased with a 10 MHz sinusoidal signal. The analysis presented in this paper proves that wireless transmission of power for intraocular pressure measurement is feasible with the measurement system proposed. In order to have a proper inductive coupling link, special care must be taken when placing the two coils in proximity to avoid misalignment between them. PMID:25097887

ITER is an international project to design and build an experimental fusion reactor based on the “tokamak” concept. ITER relies upon localized electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) at the rational safety factor q=2 to suppress or stabilize the expected poloidal mode m=2, toroidal mode n=1 neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) islands. Such islands if unmitigated degrade energy confinement, lock to the resistive wall (stop rotating), cause loss of “H-mode” and induce disruption. The International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) on MHD, Disruptions and Magnetic Control joint experiment group MDC-8 on Current Drive Prevention/Stabilization of Neoclassical Tearing Modes started in 2005, after which assessments were made for the requirements for ECCD needed in ITER, particularly that of rf power and alignment on q=2 [1]. Narrow well-aligned rf current parallel to and of order of one percent of the total plasma current is needed to replace the “missing” current in the island O-points and heal or preempt (avoid destabilization by applying ECCD on q=2 in absence of the mode) the island [2-4]. This paper updates the advances in ECCD stabilization on NTMs learned in DIII-D experiments and modeling during the last 5 to 10 years as applies to stabilization by localized ECCD of tearing modes in ITER. This includes the ECCD (inside the q=1 radius) stabilization of the NTM “seeding” instability known as sawteeth (m/n=1/1) [5]. Recent measurements in DIII-D show that the ITER-similar current profile is classically unstable, curvature stabilization must not be neglected, and the small island width stabilization effect from helical ion polarization currents is stronger than was previously thought [6]. The consequences of updated assumptions in ITER modeling of the minimum well-aligned ECCD power needed are all-in-all favorable (and well-within the ITER 24 gyrotron capability) when all effects are included. However, a “wild card” may be broadening of the localized

ITER is an international project to design and build an experimental fusion reactor based on the "tokamak" concept. ITER relies upon localized electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) at the rational safety factor q=2 to suppress or stabilize the expected poloidal mode m=2, toroidal mode n=1 neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) islands. Such islands if unmitigated degrade energy confinement, lock to the resistive wall (stop rotating), cause loss of "H-mode" and induce disruption. The International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) on MHD, Disruptions and Magnetic Control joint experiment group MDC-8 on Current Drive Prevention/Stabilization of Neoclassical Tearing Modes started in 2005, after which assessments were made for the requirements for ECCD needed in ITER, particularly that of rf power and alignment on q=2 [1]. Narrow well-aligned rf current parallel to and of order of one percent of the total plasma current is needed to replace the "missing" current in the island O-points and heal or preempt (avoid destabilization by applying ECCD on q=2 in absence of the mode) the island [2-4]. This paper updates the advances in ECCD stabilization on NTMs learned in DIII-D experiments and modeling during the last 5 to 10 years as applies to stabilization by localized ECCD of tearing modes in ITER. This includes the ECCD (inside the q=1 radius) stabilization of the NTM "seeding" instability known as sawteeth (m/n=1/1) [5]. Recent measurements in DIII-D show that the ITER-similar current profile is classically unstable, curvature stabilization must not be neglected, and the small island width stabilization effect from helical ion polarization currents is stronger than was previously thought [6]. The consequences of updated assumptions in ITER modeling of the minimum well-aligned ECCD power needed are all-in-all favorable (and well-within the ITER 24 gyrotron capability) when all effects are included. However, a "wild card" may be broadening of the localized ECCD by the presence of

This paper attempts to tackle one of the challenges faced in soft input soft output Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) detection systems, which is to achieve optimal error rate performance with minimal power consumption. This is realized by proposing a new algorithm design that comprises multiple thresholds within the detector that, in real time, specify the receiver behavior according to the current channel in both slow and fast fading conditions, giving it adaptivity. This adaptivity enables energy savings within the system since the receiver chooses whether to accept or to reject the transmission, according to the success rate of detecting thresholds. The thresholds are calculated using the mutual information of the instantaneous channel conditions between the transmitting and receiving antennas of iterative-MIMO systems. In addition, the power saving technique, Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling, helps to reduce the circuit power demands of the adaptive algorithm. This adaptivity has the potential to save up to 30% of the total energy when it is implemented on Xilinx®Virtex-5 simulation hardware. Results indicate the benefits of having this "intelligence" in the adaptive algorithm due to the promising performance-complexity tradeoff parameters in both software and hardware codesign simulation.

The chemical oxygen-iodine laser (COIL) is a high power, fiber deliverable tool, which can be used for a number of different industrial applications. COIL is of particular interest because of its short fiber deliverable wavelength, high scaleable continuous wave power, and excellent material interaction properties. In past research the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign identified and decommissioning and decontamination (DD) of nuclear facilities as a primary focus for COIL technology. DD will be a major challenge in the coming decades. The use of a robotically driven fiber delivered cutting/ablation tool in contaminated areas promises to lower risks to workers for the DD mission. Further, the high cutting speed of COIL will significantly reduce the time required to cut contaminated equipment, reducing costs. The high power of COIL will permit the dismantling of thick stacks of piping and equipment as well as reactor vessels. COIL is very promising for the removal of material from contaminated surfaces, perhaps to depths thicker than an inch. Laser cutting and ablation minimizes dust and fumes, which reduces the required number of high efficiency particulate accumulator filters, thus reducing costly waste disposal. Other potential industrial applications for COIL are shipbuilding, automotive manufacturing, heavy machinery manufacturing, tasks requiring underwater cutting or welding, and there appear to be very promising applications for high powers lasers in the oil industry.

A filter-based iterative learning control (FILC) scheme is developed in this paper, which consists in a proportional-derivative (PD) feedback controller and a feedforward filter. Moreover, based on two-dimensional system theory, the stability of the FILC system is proven. The design criteria for a wavelet transform filter (WTF) - chosen as the feedforward filter - and the PD feedback controller are also given. Finally, using a pneumatic power active lower-limb orthosis (PPALO) as the controlled plant, the wavelet-based iterative learning control (WILC) implementation and the orchestration of a trajectory tracking control simulation are given in detail and the overall tracking performance is validated.

In order to reduce global carbon-dioxide in the world, we propose an Advanced Superconducting Power Conditioning System (ASPCS) which is composed of 5 MW renewable energy resources and 1 MW hybrid storage system. The hybrid storage system is composed of FC-H2-EL and SMES which is installed adjacent to a LH2 station for vehicles. Since the SMES can be operated at 20 K which is a saturated temperature of LH2, we can use MgB2 superconductors. In the ASPCS, 100 MJ storage capacities of the SMES should be required. This paper focuses on studies into a conceptual design of SMES toroidal coil composed of the MgB2 and indirectly cooled by LH2.

First CW test bed, devoted for Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ICRH), has been built at CEA Cadarache. It has been designed for testing the ICRH antenna sub assemblies under ITER relevant conditions (vacuum, cooling and RF). This paper presents a technical overview of these facilities and discusses their future operations in the framework of the ITER ICRH European R&D program.

Both in industrial as in controlled environments, such as high-voltage laboratories, pulses from multiple sources, including partial discharges (PD) and electrical noise can be superimposed. These circumstances can modify and alter the results of PD measurements and, what is more, they can lead to misinterpretation. The spectral power clustering technique (SPCT) allows separating PD sources and electrical noise through the two-dimensional representation (power ratio map or PR map) of the relative spectral power in two intervals, high and low frequency, calculated for each pulse captured with broadband sensors. This method allows to clearly distinguishing each of the effects of noise and PD, making it easy discrimination of all sources. In this paper, the separation ability of the SPCT clustering technique when using a Rogowski coil for PD measurements is evaluated. Different parameters were studied in order to establish which of them could help for improving the manual selection of the separation intervals, thus enabling a better separation of clusters. The signal processing can be performed during the measurements or in a further analysis. PMID:26473872

Both in industrial as in controlled environments, such as high-voltage laboratories, pulses from multiple sources, including partial discharges (PD) and electrical noise can be superimposed. These circumstances can modify and alter the results of PD measurements and, what is more, they can lead to misinterpretation. The spectral power clustering technique (SPCT) allows separating PD sources and electrical noise through the two-dimensional representation (power ratio map or PR map) of the relative spectral power in two intervals, high and low frequency, calculated for each pulse captured with broadband sensors. This method allows to clearly distinguishing each of the effects of noise and PD, making it easy discrimination of all sources. In this paper, the separation ability of the SPCT clustering technique when using a Rogowski coil for PD measurements is evaluated. Different parameters were studied in order to establish which of them could help for improving the manual selection of the separation intervals, thus enabling a better separation of clusters. The signal processing can be performed during the measurements or in a further analysis. PMID:26473872

plasma initiation and current ramp up scenario envisioned for ITER has been simulated in DIII-D experiments. These discharges were limited on the low field side (LFS) during the initial current ramp up, as specified for the ITER baseline startup scenario. Initial experiments produced internal inductance (l(i)),higher than the design value for the ITER shaping coils, often leading to vertical instabilities. A modified startup with larger volume was developed to reduce l(i) in the current ramp up. This large-bore scenario, also limiting on the LFS, produced a lower l(i) and avoided the vertical instabilities. Feedback control of l(i), using the ohmic field coilpower supply as the actuator, was successfully demonstrated. Such control may be useful in avoiding vertical instabilities and in providing access to sawtooth-free steady state and hybrid scenarios in ITER. Experiments at reduced inductive voltage and with electron cyclotron assist for breakdown and burnthrough have also been carried out. The Corsica equilibrium and transport code has modelled these data to provide validation of transport models used to simulate this phase of ITER discharges in order to yield more accurate extrapolation to ITER scenarios.

In future, high power density fusion devices, the need to prevent excessive local deposition of the plasma energy efflux on the first-wall surfaces is a critical design consideration in order to maintain the integrity of such surfaces. This requirement must be met without significant impact on plasma purity or overall plasma confinement. For the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), these constraints have led to the following design criteria [1] P{sub rad}/(P{sub input} + P{sub {alpha}}) = 83%, P{sub rad,core}/(P{sub input} + P{sub {alpha}}) = 33%, P{sub target}/P{sub loss} = 17%, Z{sub eff} < 1.8, and {tau}{sub E}/{tau}{sub E,ITER93H} > 0.85. Here, P{sub loss} is the power flowing out of the core (i.e., P{sub input} + P{sub {alpha}} - P{sub rad,core})and P{sub target} is the power conducted to the target plate. These criteria represent a compromise between obtaining sufficient radiation to reduce the target heat load to a tolerable level, minimizing core fuel dilution, and maintaining sufficient power flow through the edge plasma to maintain H-mode confinement. Past experiments have had difficulty achieving these conditions simultaneously when using seeded impurities, and therefore there has been some concern regarding the viability of the ITER design. However, recent experiments in DIII-D using the puff and pump technique with argon as the seeded impurity have demonstrated the compatibility of these design constraints. In particular, steady-state plasma conditions have been achieved with P{sub rad}/P{sub input} = 72%, P{sub rad,core}/P{sub input} = 16%, P{sub target}/P{sub loss} = 17%, Z{sub eff} = 1.85, and {tau}{sub E}/{tau}{sub E,ITER93H} = 1.05.

Coiledcoils are the best-understood protein fold, as their backbone structure can uniquely be described by parametric equations. This level of understanding has allowed their manipulation in unprecedented detail. They do not seem a likely source of surprises, yet we describe here the unexpected formation of a new type of fiber by the simple insertion of two or six residues into the underlying heptad repeat of a parallel, trimeric coiledcoil. These insertions strain the supercoil to the breaking point, causing the local formation of short β-strands, which move the path of the chain by 120° around the trimer axis. The result is an α/β coiledcoil, which retains only one backbone hydrogen bond per repeat unit from the parent coiledcoil. Our results show that a substantially novel backbone structure is possible within the allowed regions of the Ramachandran space with only minor mutations to a known fold. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.11861.001 PMID:26771248

A borehole induction coil transmitter which is a part of a cross-borehole electromagnetic field system that is used for underground imaging applications. The transmitter consists of four major parts: 1) a wound ferrite or mu-metal core, 2) an array of tuning capacitors, 3) a current driver circuit board, and 4) a flux monitor. The core is wound with several hundred turns of wire and connected in series with the capacitor array, to produce a tuned coil. This tuned coil uses internal circuitry to generate sinusoidal signals that are transmitted through the earth to a receiver coil in another borehole. The transmitter can operate at frequencies from 1-200 kHz and supplies sufficient power to permit the field system to operate in boreholes separated by up to 400 meters.

Significant progress in the extension of pulse durations of powerful negative ion beams has been made to realize the neutral beam injectors for JT-60SA and ITER. In order to overcome common issues of the long-pulse production/acceleration of negative ion beams in JT-60SA and ITER, new technologies have been developed in the JT-60SA ion source and the MeV accelerator in Japan Atomic Energy Agency. As for the long-pulse production of high-current negative ions for the JT-60SA ion source, the pulse durations have been successfully increased from 30 s at 13 A on JT-60U to 100 s at 15 A by modifying the JT-60SA ion source, which satisfies the required pulse duration of 100 s and 70% of the rated beam current for JT-60SA. This progress was based on the R&D efforts for the temperature control of the plasma grid and uniform negative ion productions with the modified tent-shaped filter field configuration. Moreover, each parameter of the required beam energy, current and pulse has been achieved individually by these R&D efforts. The developed techniques are useful to design the ITER ion source because the sustainment of the caesium coverage in the large extraction area is one of the common issues between JT-60SA and ITER. As for the long-pulse acceleration of high power density beams in the MeV accelerator for ITER, the pulse duration of MeV-class negative ion beams has been extended by more than 2 orders of magnitude by modifying the extraction grid with a high cooling capability and a high transmission of negative ions. A long-pulse acceleration of 60 s has been achieved at 70 MW m-2 (683 keV, 100 A m-2) which has reached the power density of JT-60SA level of 65 MW m-2. No degradations of the voltage holding capability of the acceleration voltage and the beam optics due to the distortion of the acceleration grids have been observed in this power density level. These results are the longest pulse durations of high-current and high-power-density negative ion beams in the

R&D of high power density negative ion beam acceleration has been carried out at MeV test facility in JAEA to realize ITER neutral beam accelerator. The main target is H- ion beam acceleration up to 1 MeV with 200 A/m2 for 60 s whose pulse length is the present facility limit. For long pulse acceleration at high power density, new extraction grid (EXG) has been developed with high cooling capability, which electron suppression magnet is placed under cooling channel similar to ITER. In addition, aperture size of electron suppression grid (ESG) is enlarged from 14 mm to 16 mm to reduce direct interception on the ESG and emission of secondary electron which leads to high heat load on the upstream acceleration grid. By enlarging ESG aperture, beam current increased 10 % at high current beam and total acceleration grid heat load reduced from 13 % to 10 % of input power at long pulse beam. In addition, heat load by back stream positive ion into the EXG is measured for the first time and is estimated as 0.3 % of beam power, while heat load by back stream ion into the source chamber is estimated as 3.5 ~ 4.0 % of beam power. Beam acceleration up to 60 s which is the facility limit, has achieved at 683 keV, 100 A/m2 of negative ion beam, whose energy density increases two orders of magnitude since 2011.

R and D of high power density negative ion beam acceleration has been carried out at MeV test facility in JAEA to realize ITER neutral beam accelerator. The main target is H{sup −} ion beam acceleration up to 1 MeV with 200 A/m{sup 2} for 60 s whose pulse length is the present facility limit. For long pulse acceleration at high power density, new extraction grid (EXG) has been developed with high cooling capability, which electron suppression magnet is placed under cooling channel similar to ITER. In addition, aperture size of electron suppression grid (ESG) is enlarged from 14 mm to 16 mm to reduce direct interception on the ESG and emission of secondary electron which leads to high heat load on the upstream acceleration grid. By enlarging ESG aperture, beam current increased 10 % at high current beam and total acceleration grid heat load reduced from 13 % to 10 % of input power at long pulse beam. In addition, heat load by back stream positive ion into the EXG is measured for the first time and is estimated as 0.3 % of beam power, while heat load by back stream ion into the source chamber is estimated as 3.5 ~ 4.0 % of beam power. Beam acceleration up to 60 s which is the facility limit, has achieved at 683 keV, 100 A/m{sup 2} of negative ion beam, whose energy density increases two orders of magnitude since 2011.

We numerically investigated power deposition and temperature rise generated due to the presence of a titanium rod placed in a phantom, located inside a 1.5 T coil. The induced power deposition and temperature rise normalized to incident tangential electric field was found to be dependent on distance to the phantom wall. The different dependence of the integral of power deposition over a box surrounded the rod and the temperature rise on American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) phantom medium electrical conductivity was observed. The consequences of numerical domain simplification have been analyzed. PMID:26737609

We have numerically compared the performance of various designs for the core refractive-index (RI) and rare-earth-dopant distributions of large-mode-area fibers for use in bend-loss-filtered, high-power amplifiers. We first established quantitative targets for the key parameters that determine fiber-amplifier performance, including effective LP 01 modal area (A eff, both straight and coiled), bend sensitivity (for handling and packaging), high-order mode discrimination, mode-field displacement upon coiling, and index contrast (manufacturability). We compared design families based on various power-law and hybrid profiles for the RI and evaluated confined rare-earth doping for hybrid profiles. Step-index fibers with straight-fiber A eff values > 1000 μm2 exhibit large decreases in A eff and transverse mode-field displacements upon coiling, in agreement with recent calculations of Hadley et al. [Proc. of SPIE, Vol. 6102, 61021S (2006)] and Fini [Opt. Exp. 14, 69 (2006)]. Triangular-profile fibers substantially mitigate these effects, but suffer from excessive bend sensitivity at A eff values of interest. Square-law (parabolic) profile fibers are free of modal distortion but are hampered by high bend sensitivity (although to a lesser degree than triangular profiles) and exhibit the largest mode displacements. We find that hybrid (combined power-law) profiles provide some decoupling of these tradeoffs and allow all design goals to be achieved simultaneously. We present optimized fiber designs based on this analysis.

The results of the Conceptual Design Activities for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) are summarized. These activities, carried out between April 1988 and December 1990, produced a consistent set of technical characteristics and preliminary plans for co-ordinated research and development support of ITER, a conceptual design, a description of design requirements and a preliminary construction schedule and cost estimate. After a description of the design basis, an overview is given of the tokamak device, its auxiliary systems, facility and maintenance. The interrelation and integration of the various subsystems that form the ITER tokamak concept are discussed. The 16 ITER equatorial port allocations, used for nuclear testing, diagnostics, fueling, maintenance, and heating and current drive, are given, as well as a layout of the reactor building. Finally, brief descriptions are given of the major ITER sub-systems, i.e., (1) magnet systems (toroidal and poloidal field coils and cryogenic systems), (2) containment structures (vacuum and cryostat vessels, machine gravity supports, attaching locks, passive loops and active coils), (3) first wall, (4) divertor plate (design and materials, performance and lifetime, a.o.), (5) blanket/shield system, (6) maintenance equipment, (7) current drive and heating, (8) fuel cycle system, and (9) diagnostics.

The success of the vacuum-pressure impregnation of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor central solenoid is critical to success of the magnet system. Analysis of fluid flow through a fabric bed is extremely complicated, and complete analytical solutions are not available, but semiempirical methods can be adapted to model these flows. Several of these models were evaluated to predict the impregnation characteristics of a liquid resin through a mat of reinforcing glass fabric, and an experiment was performed to validate these models. The effects of applied pressure differential, glass fibre volume fraction, resin viscosity and impregnation time were examined analytically. From the results of this optimization, it is apparent that use of elevated processing temperature resin systems offer significant advantages in large scale impregnation due to their lower viscosity and longer working life, and they may be essential for large scale impregnations.

This theoretical and experimental study compares the ion-cyclotron wave generating characteristics of a Stix coil (which generates waves with azimuthal mode number m = 0) with those of a coil which produces primarily m = + or -1 ion-cyclotron modes. The theoretical work of J.E. Hipp, which predicted very good coupling for the m = 1 coil, was extended to determine the scaling laws for plasma column radius and coil wavelength. Experimentally, an m = 1 coil and an m = 0 coil were used to generate ion-cyclotron waves on a beam generated plasma column with electron density = 10 to the 12th power/cu cm. Coupling resonances with peak efficiencies of approximately 40 to 50 percent were measured for both coils in low power (approximately 10k W) experiments. For equal power transfer to the plasma, the m = 0 coil voltage was more than a factor of two greater than that for the m = 1 coil.

Europe has started since the '80s with the preparatory work done on NET, the Next European Torus, the successor of JET, to prepare for the construction of the next generation experiment on the road to the fusion reactor. In 2000 the European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA) has been signed by sixteen countries, including Switzerland, not a member of the Union. Now the signatory countries have increased to twenty-five. A vigorous programme of design and R and D in support of ITER construction has been conducted by EFDA through the coordinated effort of the national institutes and laboratories supported financially, in the framework of the VI European Framework Research Programme (2002-2006), by contracts of association with EURATOM. In the last three years, with the expenditure of 160 M[Euro], the accent has been particularly put on the preparation of the industrial manufacturing activities of components and systems for ITER. Prototypes and manufacturing methods have been developed in all the main critical areas of machine construction with the objective of providing sound and effective solutions: vacuum vessel, toroidal field coils, poloidal field coils, remote handling equipment, plasma facing components and divertor components, electrical power supplies, generators and power supplies for the Heating and Current Drive Systems and other minor subsystems.Europe feels to be ready to host the ITER site and to provide adequate support and guidance for the success of construction to our partners in the ITER collaboration, wherever needed.

Experimental and digital simulation studies of the generation of seed currents by an ultracompact (8.66-8.75 cm3 in volume) ferromagnetic explosive-driven generator of primary power (FMG) loaded on the coaxial single-turn seeding coil of a magnetocumulative generator (MCG) have been performed. The operation of the FMG is based on transverse shock wave demagnetization of Nd2Fe14B high-energy hard ferromagnets. The FMG is capable of producing in the coaxial seeding coil of MCG a seed current with peak amplitude I(t)max=3.0 kA and full width at half maximum of 60 μs. The methodology was developed for digital simulation of the seeding processes in the combined FMG/MCG system.

Set of relays tested easily and repeatedly. Pulse coil tester causes coil under test to generate transient voltage; waveform indicates condition of coil. Tester accommodates assembly of up to four coils at a time.

The DIII-D program has recently initiated an effort to provide suitably scaled experimental evaluations of four primary ITER operational scenarios. New and unique features of this work are that the plasmas incorporate essential features of the ITER scenarios and anticipated operating characteristics; e.g., the plasma cross-section, aspect ratio and value of I/aB of the DIII-D discharges match the ITER design, with size reduced by a factor of 3.7. Key aspects of all four scenarios, such as target values for {beta}{sub N} and H{sub 98}, have been replicated successfully on DIII-D, providing an improved and unified physics basis for transport and stability modeling, as well as for performance extrapolation to ITER. In all four scenarios normalized performance equals or closely approaches that required to realize the physics and technology goals of ITER, and projections of the DIII-D discharges are consistent with ITER achieving its goals of {ge} 400 MW of fusion power production and Q {ge} 10. These studies also address many of the key physics issues related to the ITER design, including the L-H transition power threshold, the size of ELMs, pedestal parameter scaling, the impact of tearing modes on confinement and disruptivity, beta limits and the required capabilities of the plasma control system. An example of direct influence on the ITER design from this work is a modification of the specified operating range in internal inductance at 15 MA for the poloidal field coil set, based on observations that the measured inductance in the baseline scenario case lay outside the original ITER specification.

Delivering milliwatts of wireless power at centimeter distances is advantageous to many existing and emerging biomedical applications. It is highly desirable to fully integrate the receiver on a single chip in standard CMOS with no additional post-processing steps or external components. This paper presents a 2 × 2.18 mm(2) on-chip wireless power transfer (WPT) receiver (Rx) coil fabricated in 0.13 μm CMOS. The WPT system utilizes a 14.5 × 14.5 mm(2) transmitter (Tx) coil that is fabricated on a standard FR4 substrate. The on-chip power harvester demonstrates a peak WPT efficiency of -18.47 dB , -20.96 dB and -20.15 dB at 10 mm of separation through air, bovine muscle and 0.2 molar NaCl, respectively. The achieved efficiency enables the delivery of milliwatts of power to application circuits while staying below safe power density and electromagnetic (EM) exposure limits. PMID:25099630

The magnetic perturbations produced by the resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) coils will be rotated in ITER so that the spiral patterns due to strike point splitting which are locked to the RMP also rotate. This is to ensure even power deposition on the divertor plates. VMEC equilibria are calculated for different phases of the RMP rotation. It is demonstrated that the off harmonics rotate in the opposite direction to the main harmonic. This is an important topic for future research to control and optimize ITER appropriately. High confinement mode (H-mode) is favourable for the economics of a potential fusion power plant and its use is planned in ITER. However, the high pressure gradient at the edge of the plasma can trigger periodic eruptions called edge localized modes (ELMs). ELMs have the potential to shorten the life of the divertor in ITER (Loarte et al 2003 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 45 1549) and so methods for mitigating or suppressing ELMs in ITER will be important. Non-axisymmetric RMP coils will be installed in ITER for ELM control. Sampling theory is used to show that there will be significant a {{n}\\text{coils}}-{{n}\\text{rmp}} harmonic sideband. There are nine coils toroidally in ITER so {{n}\\text{coils}}=9 . This results in a significant n = 6 component to the {{n}\\text{rmp}}=3 applied field and a significant n = 5 component to the {{n}\\text{rmp}}=4 applied field. Although the vacuum field has similar amplitudes of these harmonics the plasma response to the various harmonics dictates the final equilibrium. Magnetic perturbations with toroidal mode number n = 3 and n = 4 are applied to a 15 MA, {{q}95}≈ 3 burning ITER plasma. We use a three-dimensional ideal magnetohydrodynamic model (VMEC) to calculate ITER equilibria with applied RMPs and to determine growth rates of infinite n ballooning modes (COBRA). The {{n}\\text{rmp}}=4 case shows little change in ballooning mode growth rate as the RMP is

False positives in a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) can be effectively controlled by a fixed effect and random effect Mixed Linear Model (MLM) that incorporates population structure and kinship among individuals to adjust association tests on markers; however, the adjustment also compromises true positives. The modified MLM method, Multiple Loci Linear Mixed Model (MLMM), incorporates multiple markers simultaneously as covariates in a stepwise MLM to partially remove the confounding between testing markers and kinship. To completely eliminate the confounding, we divided MLMM into two parts: Fixed Effect Model (FEM) and a Random Effect Model (REM) and use them iteratively. FEM contains testing markers, one at a time, and multiple associated markers as covariates to control false positives. To avoid model over-fitting problem in FEM, the associated markers are estimated in REM by using them to define kinship. The P values of testing markers and the associated markers are unified at each iteration. We named the new method as Fixed and random model Circulating Probability Unification (FarmCPU). Both real and simulated data analyses demonstrated that FarmCPU improves statistical power compared to current methods. Additional benefits include an efficient computing time that is linear to both number of individuals and number of markers. Now, a dataset with half million individuals and half million markers can be analyzed within three days. PMID:26828793

Coiledcoils have attracted considerable interest as design templates in a wide range of applications. Successful coiled-coil design strategies therefore require a detailed understanding of coiled-coil folding. One common feature shared by coiledcoils is the presence of a short autonomous helical folding unit, termed "trigger sequence," that is indispensable for folding. Detailed knowledge of trigger sequences at the molecular level is thus key to a general understanding of coiled-coil formation. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we identify and characterize here the molecular determinants that specify the helical conformation of the monomeric early folding intermediate of the GCN4 coiledcoil. We demonstrate that a network of hydrogen-bonding and electrostatic interactions stabilize the trigger-sequence helix. This network is rearranged in the final dimeric coiled-coil structure, and its destabilization significantly slows down GCN4 leucine zipper folding. Our findings provide a general explanation for the molecular mechanism of coiled-coil formation. PMID:17438295

The effects of transmission (Tx) coil structure have been studied for micro-size magnetic induction coil. The size of the receiving (Rx) coil should be shrunk to the micrometer level for the various new applications such as micro-robot and wireless body implanted devices. In case of the macro-scale magnetic induction coil, the power transmission efficiency is generally considered to be higher as the inductance of the transmission coil became larger; however, the large size difference between macro-size Tx coil and micro-size Rx coil can decrease the power transmission efficiency due to the difference of resonance frequency. Here, we study a correlation of the power transmission with the size and distance between the macro-size Tx and micro-size Rx coils using magnetic induction technique. The maximum power efficiency was 0.28/0.23/0.13/0.12% at the distance of 0.3/1/3/5 cm between Rx and Tx coil. In addition, more efficient wireless power transferring method is suggested with a floating coil for the body implantable devices. The voltage output increased up to 5.4 mV than the original one Tx coil system. The results demonstrated the foundational wireless power transferring system with enhanced power efficiency.

13 MW of electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) power deposited inside the q = 1 surface is likely to reduce the sawtooth period in ITER baseline scenario below the level empirically predicted to trigger neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs). However, since the ECCD control scheme is solely predicated upon changing the local magnetic shear, it is prudent to plan to use a complementary scheme which directly decreases the potential energy of the kink mode in order to reduce the sawtooth period. In the event that the natural sawtooth period is longer than expected, due to enhanced α particle stabilization for instance, this ancillary sawtooth control can be provided from >10MW of ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) power with a resonance just inside the q = 1 surface. Both ECCD and ICRH control schemes would benefit greatly from active feedback of the deposition with respect to the rational surface. If the q = 1 surface can be maintained closer to the magnetic axis, the efficacy of ECCD and ICRH schemes significantly increases, the negative effect on the fusion gain is reduced, and off-axis negative-ion neutral beam injection (NNBI) can also be considered for sawtooth control. Consequently, schemes to reduce the q = 1 radius are highly desirable, such as early heating to delay the current penetration and, of course, active sawtooth destabilization to mediate small frequent sawteeth and retain a small q = 1 radius. Finally, there remains a residual risk that the ECCD + ICRH control actuators cannot keep the sawtooth period below the threshold for triggering NTMs (since this is derived only from empirical scaling and the control modelling has numerous caveats). If this is the case, a secondary control scheme of sawtooth stabilization via ECCD + ICRH + NNBI, interspersed with deliberate triggering of a crash through auxiliary power reduction and simultaneous pre-emptive NTM control by off-axis ECCD has been considered, permitting long transient periods with high fusion

Auxiliary coil controls the temperature of an RF induction furnace that is powered by a relatively unstable RF generator. Manual or servoed adjustments of the relative position of the auxiliary coil, which is placed in close proximity to the RF coil, changes the looseness of the RF coil and hence the corresponding heating effect of its RF field.

A multi-machine database for the H-mode scrape-off layer power fall-off length, λq in JET, DIII-D, ASDEX Upgrade, C-Mod, NSTX and MAST has been assembled under the auspices of the International Tokamak Physics Activity. Regression inside the database finds that the most important scaling parameter is the poloidal magnetic field (or equivalently the plasma current), with λq decreasing linearly with increasing Bpol. For the conventional aspect ratio tokamaks, the regression finds \\lambda_{q} \\propto B_{tor}^{-0.8} \\cdot q_{95}^{1.1} \\cdot P_{SOL}^{0.1} \\cdot R_{geo}^{0} , yielding λq,ITER ≅ 1 mm for the baseline inductive H-mode burning plasma scenario at Ip = 15 MA. The experimental divertor target heat flux profile data, from which λq is derived, also yield a divertor power spreading factor (S) which, together with λq, allows an integral power decay length on the target to be estimated. There are no differences in the λq scaling obtained from all-metal or carbon dominated machines and the inclusion of spherical tokamaks has no significant influence on the regression parameters. Comparison of the measured λq with the values expected from a recently published heuristic drift based model shows satisfactory agreement for all tokamaks.

As the number of coils increases in multi-channel MRI receiver-coil arrays, RF cables and connectors become increasingly bulky and heavy, degrading patient comfort and slowing workflow. Inductive coupling of signals provides an attractive "wireless" approach, with the potential to reduce coil weight and cost while simplifying patient setup. In this work, multi-channel inductively coupled anterior arrays were developed and characterized for 1.5T imaging. These comprised MR receiver coils inductively (or "wirelessly") linked to secondary or "sniffer" coils whose outputs were transmitted via preamps to the MR system cabinet. The induced currents in the imaging coils were blocked by passive diode circuits during RF transmit. The imaging arrays were totally passive, obviating the need to deliver power to the coils, and providing lightweight, untethered signal reception with easily positioned coils. Single-shot fast spin echo images were acquired from 5 volunteers using a 7-element inductively coupled coil array and a conventionally cabled 7-element coil array of identical geometry, with the inductively-coupled array showing a relative signal-to-noise ratio of 0.86 +/- 0.07. The concept was extended to a larger 9-element coil array to demonstrate the effect of coil element size on signal transfer and RF-transmit blocking. PMID:25523607

Background Quadrature surface MRI/MRS detectors comprised of circular loop and figure-8 or butterfly-shaped coils offer improved signal-to-noise-ratios (SNR) compared to single surface coils, and reduced power and specific absorption rates (SAR) when used for MRI excitation. While the radius of the optimum loop coil for performing MRI at depth d in a sample is known, the optimum geometry for figure-8 and butterfly coils is not. Materials and methods The geometries of figure-8 and square butterfly detector coils that deliver the optimum SNR are determined numerically by the electromagnetic method of moments. Figure-8 and loop detectors are then combined to create SNR-optimized quadrature detectors whose theoretical and experimental SNR performance are compared with a novel quadrature detector comprised of a strip and a loop, and with two overlapped loops optimized for the same depth at 3 T. The quadrature detection efficiency and local SAR during transmission for the three quadrature configurations are analyzed and compared. Results The SNR-optimized figure-8 detector has loop radius r8 ∼ 0.6d, so r8/r0 ∼ 1.3 in an optimized quadrature detector at 3 T. The optimized butterfly coil has side length ∼ d and crossover angle of ≥ 150° at the center. Conclusions These new design rules for figure-8 and butterfly coils optimize their performance as linear and quadrature detectors. PMID:18057975

The paper analyses how the phasing of the ITER ICRH 24 strap array evolves from the power sources up to the strap currents of the antenna. The study of the phasing control and coherence through the feeding circuits with prematching and automatic matching and decoupling network is made by modeling starting from the TOPICA matrix of the antenna array for a low coupling plasma profile and for current drive phasing (worst case for mutual coupling effects). The main results of the analysis are: (i) the strap current amplitude is well controlled by the antinode Vmax amplitude of the feeding lines, (ii) the best toroidal phasing control is done by the adjustment of the mean phase of Vmax of each poloidal straps column, (iii) with well adjusted system the largest strap current phasing error is ±20°, (iv) the effect on load resilience remains well below the maximum affordable VSWR of the generators, (v) the effect on the radiated power spectrum versus k// computed by means of the coupling code ANTITER II remains small for the considered cases.

The paper analyses how the phasing of the ITER ICRH 24 strap array evolves from the power sources up to the strap currents of the antenna. The study of the phasing control and coherence through the feeding circuits with prematching and automatic matching and decoupling network is made by modeling starting from the TOPICA matrix of the antenna array for a low coupling plasma profile and for current drive phasing (worst case for mutual coupling effects). The main results of the analysis are: (i) the strap current amplitude is well controlled by the antinode V{sub max} amplitude of the feeding lines, (ii) the best toroidal phasing control is done by the adjustment of the mean phase of V{sub max} of each poloidal straps column, (iii) with well adjusted system the largest strap current phasing error is ±20°, (iv) the effect on load resilience remains well below the maximum affordable VSWR of the generators, (v) the effect on the radiated power spectrum versus k{sub //} computed by means of the coupling code ANTITER II remains small for the considered cases.

This paper discusses the behaviour and consequences of the expected populations of energetic ions in ITER plasmas. It begins with a careful analytic and numerical consideration of the stability of Alfvén Eigenmodes in the ITER 15 MA baseline scenario. The stability threshold is determined by balancing the energetic ion drive against the dominant damping mechanisms and it is found that only in the outer half of the plasma (r/a>0.5) can the fast ions overcome the thermal ion Landau damping. This is in spite of the reduced numbers of alpha-particles and beam ions in this region but means that any Alfvén Eigenmode-induced redistribution is not expected to influence the fusion burn process. The influence of energetic ions upon the main global MHD phenomena expected in ITER's primary operating scenarios, including sawteeth, neoclassical tearing modes and Resistive Wall Modes, is also reviewed. Fast ion losses due to the non-axisymmetric fields arising from the finite number of toroidal field coils, the inclusion of ferromagnetic inserts, the presence of test blanket modules containing ferromagnetic material, and the fields created by the Edge Localised Mode (ELM) control coils in ITER are discussed. The greatest losses and associated heat loads onto the plasma facing components arise due to the use of the ELM control coils and come from neutral beam ions that are ionised in the plasma edge.

The poloidal coils for STARFIRE consists of three systems: (1) equilibrium field (EF) coils; (2) ohmic heating (OH) coils; and (3) correction field (CF) coils. The EF coils are superconducting and lie outside the toroidal field (TF) coils. These coils provide the bulk of the equilibrium field necessary to keep the plasma positioned in the vacuum chamber with the desired cross sectional shape and pressure and current distributions. Having these coils outside of the TF coils requires that they have a larger stored energy and larger currents but eases the assembly, maintenance, and reliability of the coils. The STARFIRE OH system is relatively small compared to tokamaks in which the current is entirely ohmically driven. It is designed to provide sufficient flux in the early startup to raise the plasma current to the point (1 to 2 MA) where the rf current drive can take over.

A 30% Snake superconducting magnet is proposed to maintain polarization in the AGS proton beam, the magnetic design of which is described elsewhere. The required helical coils for this magnet push the limits of the technology developed for the RHIC Snake coils. First, fields must be provided with differing pitch along the length of the magnet. To accomplish this, a new 3-D CAD system (''Pro/Engineer'' from PTC), which uses parametric techniques to enable fast iterations, has been employed. Revised magnetic field calculations are then based on the output of the mechanical model. Changes are made in turn to the model on the basis of those field calculations. To ensure that accuracy is maintained, the final solid model is imported directly into the CNC machine programming software, rather than by the use of graphics translating software. Next, due to the large coil size and magnetic field, there was concern whether the structure could contain the coil forces. A finite element analysis was performed, using the 3-D model, to ensure that the stresses and deflections were acceptable. Finally, a method was developed using ultrasonic energy to improve conductor placement during coil winding, in an effort to minimize electrical shorts due to conductor misplacement, a problem that occurred in the RHIC helical coil program. Each of these activities represents a significant improvement in technology over that which was used previously for the RHIC snake coils.

In reply to the physicsworld.com news story “US sanctions on Russia hit ITER council” (20 May, http://ow.ly/xF7oc and also June p8), about how a meeting of the fusion experiment's council had to be moved from St Petersburg and the US Congress's call for ITER boss Osamu Motojima to step down.

A superconducting coil system includes a superconducting coil and a protective link of superconducting material coupled to the superconducting coil. A rotating machine includes first and second coils and a protective link of superconducting material. The second coil is operable to rotate with respect to the first coil. One of the first and second coils is a superconducting coil. The protective link is coupled to the superconducting coil.

The impact of a contemplated conversion of the directly driven high power antenna arrays in DIII-D to externally tuned and coupled traveling wave antennas (TWAs) is evaluated based on empirical modeling, computer simulation and low power experiments. A regime of operation is predicted within the TWA passband in which the reflected power from the TWA approaches 0.1% during ELM-free H-mode. Furthermore, this reflected power does not exceed 1% and the optimum phase velocity produced by the TWA decreases less than 5% during ELMs. This resilient operating regime is phase shifted using external tuning stubs, thus providing considerable experimental flexibility. Over 90% plasma coupling efficiency is achieved by recovering the TWA output power using a novel traveling wave recirculator. Combining the above attributes with efficient plasma coupling even at large antenna-plasma distances and the lack of need for dynamic tuning, TWAs appear to offer great promise for ITER.

Readily demountable TF (toroidal-field) coils allow complete access to the internal components of a tokamak reactor for maintenance of replacement. The requirement of readily demountable joints dictates the use of water-cooled resistive coils, which have a host of decisive advantages over superconducting coils. Previous papers have shown that resistive TF coils for tokamak reactors can operate in the steady state with acceptable power dissipation (typically, 175 to 300 MW). This paper summarizes results of parametric studies of size optimization of rectangular TF coils and of a finite-element stress analysis, and examines several candidate methods of implementing demountable joints for rectangular coils constructed of plate segments.

An MRI-LINAC system combines a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system with a medical linear accelerator (LINAC) to provide image-guided radiotherapy for targeting tumors in real-time. In an MRI-LINAC system, a set of split gradient coils is employed to produce orthogonal gradient fields for spatial signal encoding. Owing to this unconventional gradient configuration, eddy currents induced by switching gradient coils on and off may be of particular concern. It is expected that strong intra-coil interactions in the set will be present due to the constrained return paths, leading to potential degradation of the gradient field linearity and image distortion. In this study, a series of gradient coils with different track widths have been designed and analyzed to investigate the electromagnetic interactions between coils in a split gradient set. A driving current, with frequencies from 100 Hz to 10 kHz, was applied to study the inductive coupling effects with respect to conductor geometry and operating frequency. It was found that the eddy currents induced in the un-energized coils (hereby-referred to as passive coils) positively correlated with track width and frequency. The magnetic field induced by the eddy currents in the passive coils with wide tracks was several times larger than that induced by eddy currents in the cold shield of cryostat. The power loss in the passive coils increased with the track width. Therefore, intra-coil interactions should be included in the coil design and analysis process.

An MRI-LINAC system combines a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system with a medical linear accelerator (LINAC) to provide image-guided radiotherapy for targeting tumors in real-time. In an MRI-LINAC system, a set of split gradient coils is employed to produce orthogonal gradient fields for spatial signal encoding. Owing to this unconventional gradient configuration, eddy currents induced by switching gradient coils on and off may be of particular concern. It is expected that strong intra-coil interactions in the set will be present due to the constrained return paths, leading to potential degradation of the gradient field linearity and image distortion. In this study, a series of gradient coils with different track widths have been designed and analyzed to investigate the electromagnetic interactions between coils in a split gradient set. A driving current, with frequencies from 100Hz to 10kHz, was applied to study the inductive coupling effects with respect to conductor geometry and operating frequency. It was found that the eddy currents induced in the un-energized coils (hereby-referred to as passive coils) positively correlated with track width and frequency. The magnetic field induced by the eddy currents in the passive coils with wide tracks was several times larger than that induced by eddy currents in the cold shield of cryostat. The power loss in the passive coils increased with the track width. Therefore, intra-coil interactions should be included in the coil design and analysis process. PMID:26852418

Self-assembly has been increasingly utilized in recent years to create peptide-based biomaterials for 3D cell culture, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine, but the molecular determinants of these materials' immunogenicity have remained largely unexplored. In this study, a set of molecules that self-assembled through coiledcoil oligomerization was designed and synthesized, and immune responses against them were investigated in mice. Experimental groups spanned a range of oligomerization behaviors and included a peptide from the coiledcoil region of mouse fibrin that did not form supramolecular structures, an engineered version of this peptide that formed coiledcoil bundles, and a peptide-PEG-peptide triblock bioconjugate that formed coiledcoil multimers and supramolecular aggregates. In mice, the native peptide and engineered peptide did not produce any detectable antibody response, and none of the materials elicited detectable peptide-specific T cell responses, as evidenced by the absence of IL-2 and interferon-gamma in cultures of peptide-challenged splenocytes or draining lymph node cells. However, specific antibody responses were elevated in mice injected with the multimerizing peptide-PEG-peptide. Minimal changes in secondary structure were observed between the engineered peptide and the triblock peptide-PEG-peptide, making it possible that the triblock's multimerization was responsible for this antibody response. PMID:20708258

An International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Implementing Task Agreement (ITA) on Magnet Safety was established between the ITER International Organization (IO) and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Fusion Safety Program (FSP) during calendar year 2004. The objectives of this ITA were to add new capabilities to the MAGARC code and to use this updated version of MAGARC to analyze unmitigated superconductor quench events for both poloidal field (PF) and toroidal field (TF) coils of the ITER design. This report documents the completion of the work scope for this ITA. Based on the results obtained for this ITA, an unmitigated quench event in an ITER larger PF coil does not appear to be as severe an accident as in an ITER TF coil.

Concept has several important advantages over close-wound system: memory and coil chips are separate and interchangeable; interconnections in coil level are eliminated by packing memory chip and electronics in single structure; and coil size can be adjusted to optimum value in terms of power dissipation and field uniformity.

Recent experiments at DIII-D used an active-coil mock-up to investigate effects of magnetic error fields similar to those expected from two ferromagnetic Test Blanket Modules (TBMs) in one ITER equatorial port. The largest and most prevalent observed effect was plasma toroidal rotation slowing across the entire radial profile, up to 60% in H-mode when the mock-up local ripple at the plasma was ˜4 times the local ripple expected in front of ITER TBMs. Analysis showed the slowing to be consistent with non-resonant braking by the mock-up field. There was no evidence of strong electromagnetic braking by resonant harmonics. These results are consistent with the near absence of resonant helical harmonics in the TBM field. Global particle and energy confinement in H-mode decreased by <20% for the maximum mock-up ripple, but <5% at the local ripple expected in ITER. These confinement reductions may be linked with the large velocity reductions. TBM field effects were small in L-mode but increased with plasma beta. The L-H power threshold was unaffected within error bars. The mock-up field increased plasma sensitivity to mode locking by a known n=1 test field (n = toroidal harmonic number). In H-mode the increased locking sensitivity was from TBM torque slowing plasma rotation. At low beta, locked mode tolerance was fully recovered by re-optimizing the conventional DIII-D ``I-coils'' empirical compensation of n=1 errors in the presence of the TBM mock-up field. Empirical error compensation in H-mode should be addressed in future experiments. Global loss of injected neutral beam fast ions was within error bars, but 1 MeV fusion triton loss may have increased. The many DIII-D mock-up results provide important benchmarks for models needed to predict effects of TBMs in ITER.

The coiledcoil is one of the most common protein-structure motifs. It is believed to be adopted by 3-5% of all amino acids in proteins. It comprises two or more alpha-helical chains wrapped around one another. The sequences of most coiledcoils are characterized by a seven-residue (heptad) repeat, denoted (abcdefg)(n). Residues at the a and d positions define the helical interface (core) and are usually hydrophobic, though about 20% are polar or charged. We show that parallel coiled-coils have a unique pattern of their negatively charged residues at the core positions: aspartic acid is excluded from these positions while glutamic acid is not. In contrast the antiparallel structures are more permissive in their amino acid usage. We show further, and for the first time, that incorporation of Asp but not Glu into the a positions of a parallel coiledcoil creates a flexible hinge and that the maximal hinge angle is being directly related to the number of incorporated mutations. These new computational and experimental observations will be of use in improving protein-structure predictions, and as rules to guide rational design of novel coiled-coil motifs and coiledcoil-based materials. PMID:17207815

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), as the Japan Domestic Agency (JADA), has the responsibility to procure 9 ITER toroidal field (TF) coils, 19 TF coil (TFC) structures, 25% of the TF conductors and 100% of the central solenoid (CS) conductors in ITER and, in addition, CS and equilibrium field (EF) coils including their conductors in JT-60SA, which is being developed as a satellite facility for ITER. In ITER, more than 90% of TF conductor fabrication was completed and finalization of the manufacturing procedure of TF coils is in progress through full-scale trials, such as trial fabrication of dummy double pancakes (DPs). In JT-60SA, fabrication of the EF4 coil was completed and the EF5 and EF6 coils are being assembled.

A new method for correcting magnetic field errors in the ITER tokamak is developed using the Ideal Perturbed Equilibrium Code (IPEC). The dominant external magnetic field for driving islands is shown to be localized to the outboard midplane for three ITER equilibria that represent the projected range of operational scenarios. The coupling matrices between the poloidal harmonics of the external magnetic perturbations and the resonant fields on the rational surfaces that drive islands are combined for different equilibria and used to determine an ordered list of the dominant errors in the external magnetic field. It is found that efficient and robust error field correction is possible with a fixed setting of the correction currents relative to the currents in the main coils across the range of ITER operating scenarios that was considered.

Heterogeneous iodine cluster formation has been identified as the responsible factor resulting in large iodine titration requirements for Boeing's first high Mach number nitrogen ejector nozzle. A solution employing geometrically produced aerodynamic heating in the flow was envisioned to break up these clusters. Horizontal and vertical wire arrays (cluster busters) placed downstream of the nozzle exit plane (NEP) have been shown to significantly reduce the optimal iodine titration and to greatly improve the power extraction efficiency of the Chemical Oxygen-Iodine Laser utilizing this first generation ejector nozzle.

An electrical stator coil for an electromagnetic pump includes a continuous conductor strip having first and second terminals at opposite ends thereof and an intermediate section disposed therebetween. The strip is configured in first and second coil halves, with the first coil half including a plurality of windings extending from the first terminal to the intermediate section, and the second coil half including a plurality of windings extending from the second terminal to the intermediate section. The first and second coil halves are disposed coaxially, and the first and second terminals are disposed radially inwardly therefrom with the intermediate section being disposed radially outwardly therefrom.

An electrical stator coil for an electromagnetic pump includes a continuous conductor strip having first and second terminals at opposite ends thereof and an intermediate section disposed therebetween. The strip is configured in first and second coil halves, with the first coil half including a plurality of windings extending from the first terminal to the intermediate section, and the second coil half including a plurality of windings extending from the second terminal to the intermediate section. The first and second coil halves are disposed coaxially, and the first and second terminals are disposed radially inwardly therefrom with the intermediate section being disposed radially outwardly therefrom. 9 figs.

A high frequency inductively coupled electrodeless lamp includes an excitation coil with an effective electrical length which is less than one half wavelength of a driving frequency applied thereto, preferably much less. The driving frequency may be greater than 100 MHz and is preferably as high as 915 MHz. Preferably, the excitation coil is configured as a non-helical, semi-cylindrical conductive surface having less than one turn, in the general shape of a wedding ring. At high frequencies, the current in the coil forms two loops which are spaced apart and parallel to each other. Configured appropriately, the coil approximates a Helmholtz configuration. The lamp preferably utilizes an bulb encased in a reflective ceramic cup with a pre-formed aperture defined therethrough. The ceramic cup may include structural features to aid in alignment and/or a flanged face to aid in thermal management. The lamp head is preferably an integrated lamp head comprising a metal matrix composite surrounding an insulating ceramic with the excitation integrally formed on the ceramic. A novel solid-state oscillator preferably provides RF power to the lamp. The oscillator is a single active element device capable of providing over 70 watts of power at over 70% efficiency.

ITER (in Latin ?the way?) is designed to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy. Fusion is the process by which two light atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier over one and thus release energy. In the fusion process two isotopes of hydrogen ? deuterium and tritium ? fuse together to form a helium atom and a neutron. Thus fusion could provide large scale energy production without greenhouse effects; essentially limitless fuel would be available all over the world. The principal goals of ITER are to generate 500 megawatts of fusion power for periods of 300 to 500 seconds with a fusion power multiplication factor, Q, of at least 10. Q ? 10 (input power 50 MW / output power 500 MW). The ITER Organization was officially established in Cadarache, France, on 24 October 2007. The seven members engaged in the project ? China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United States ? represent more than half the world?s population. The costs for ITER are shared by the seven members. The cost for the construction will be approximately 5.5 billion Euros, a similar amount is foreseen for the twenty-year phase of operation and the subsequent decommissioning.

A novel geometry for radiofrequency coil design is described. In this geometry, longitudinal wires of the coil lie on two parallel planes. The currents in the wires of one plane run in the direction opposite to those of the other plane. An analytic solution is provided for the field produced by infinite surface currents running in the biplanar geometry. For the case of discrete wires, computer-generated field maps imply that the homogeneity and sensitivity of the biplanar design are superior to those of a saddle coil, but worse than those obtained in an equivalent discrete cosine or birdcage coil design. Optimization of this coil design was performed using computer simulations. The measured B1 map of an optimized, single-tuned biplanar coil compares favorably to that of an equivalent discrete cosine coil, demonstrating excellent homogeneity in the central region of the coil. A 30 × 24 × 40 cm biplanar coil has been coupled to a 1.5 T imaging system. Images of the human abdomen generated with this coil demonstrate a high degree of homogeneity across nearly all of the sensitive region of the coil.

We present a design methodology for an overlapping hexagonal planar spiral coil (hex-PSC) array, optimized for creation of a homogenous magnetic field for wireless power transmission to randomly moving objects. The modular hex-PSC array has been implemented in the form of three parallel conductive layers, for which an iterative optimization procedure defines the PSC geometries. Since the overlapping hex-PSCs in different layers have different characteristics, the worst case coil-coupling condition should be designed to provide the maximum power transfer efficiency (PTE) in order to minimize the spatial received power fluctuations. In the worst case, the transmitter (Tx) hex-PSC is overlapped by six PSCs and surrounded by six other adjacent PSCs. Using a receiver (Rx) coil, 20 mm in radius, at the coupling distance of 78 mm and maximum lateral misalignment of 49.1 mm (1/√3 of the PSC radius) we can receive power at a PTE of 19.6% from the worst case PSC. Furthermore, we have studied the effects of Rx coil tilting and concluded that the PTE degrades significantly when θ > 60°. Solutions are: 1) activating two adjacent overlapping hex-PSCs simultaneously with out-of-phase excitations to create horizontal magnetic flux and 2) inclusion of a small energy storage element in the Rx module to maintain power in the worst case scenarios. In order to verify the proposed design methodology, we have developed the EnerCage system, which aims to power up biological instruments attached to or implanted in freely behaving small animal subjects’ bodies in long-term electrophysiology experiments within large experimental arenas. PMID:24782576

This report contains papers on the following topics: conceptual design; radiation damage of ITER magnet systems; insulation system of the magnets; critical current density and strain sensitivity; toroidal field coil structural analysis; stress analysis for the ITER central solenoid; and volt-second capabilities and PF magnet configurations.

The coil bobbin for a.c. coils have been prepared with the high strength polyethylene fiber (DF) reinforced plastics (DFRP) or with hybrid composites reinforced by DF and glass fiber (GF). The coils with the bobbin were found to be markedly stable. The DF has a large negative thermal expansion coefficient and hence the circumferential thermal strain of bobbin can be designed by changing the ratio of DF to GF layer thickness (DF/GF). It was found that the thermal expansion coefficient in the circumferential direction of the outer surface changed from negative to positive with increasing DF/GF and became nearly zero at a DF/GF of approximately 5.1 kA rms class a.c. coils having a bobbin with a negative thermal expansion coefficient or small thermal contraction in the circumferential direction were fabricated and were confirmed to show higher quench current than that with a GFRP bobbin.

Power transfer efficiency (PTE) and power delivered to the load (PDL) are two key inductive link design parameters that relate to the power source and driver specs, power loss, transmission range, robustness against misalignment, variations in loading, and interference with other devices. Designers need to strike a delicate balance between these two because designing the link to achieve high PTE will degrade the PDL and vice versa. We are proposing a new figure-of-merit (FoM), which can help designers to find out whether a two-, three-, or four-coil link is appropriate for their particular application and guide them through an iterative design procedure to reach optimal coil geometries based on how they weigh the PTE versus PDL for that application. Three design examples at three different power levels have been presented based on the proposed FoM for implantable microelectronic devices, handheld mobile devices, and electric vehicles. The new FoM suggests that the two-coil links are suitable when the coils are strongly coupled, and a large PDL is needed. Three-coil links are the best when the coils are loosely coupled, the coupling distance varies considerably, and large PDL is necessary. Finally, four-coil links are optimal when the PTE is paramount, the coils are loosely coupled, and their relative distance and alignment are stable. Measurement results support the accuracy of the theoretical design procedure and conclusions. PMID:25382898

The use of multiple radiofrequency (RF) surface coil elements has applications in both fast parallel imaging and conventional imaging techniques. Through implementation of a simple magnetic decoupling network, 50 Omega matching can be achieved in both the transmitter and receiver chains, enabling the use of conventional RF power amplifiers and preamplifiers for transceive applications. Unlike phased array coil arrangements using low impedance preamplifiers for decoupling, the noise correlation between 50 Omega coils decoupled with discrete components has not been characterized. We have measured the dependence of coil quality factor (Q-factor) and noise correlation on coil separation and shown these quantities to be consistent with theoretical arguments, at least at 4 T (170 MHz). Our results suggest that a coil system for transmission and reception of NMR signals with 50 Omega coils can be built to take advantage of all the benefits of conventional array coils and with the added advantages of using conventional amplifiers. PMID:15504694

One of the main requirements for ITER Nb3Sn Toroidal Field (TF) conductor is a temperature margin of 0.7 K under 11.8 T peak field, 68 kA operating current, and operating temperature of 5 K, i.e. current sharing temperature Tcs = 5.7 K, while the performance of Nb3Sn strands used for the fabrication of the conductor is evaluated by critical current density Jc(4.2 K, 12 T). This work represents an analysis of experimentally revealed correlation between Jc(4.2 K, 12 T) and Tcs of several Nb3Sn strands and short sample of the TF conductor RFTF2 tested in SULTAN facility (SULTAN sample). The performance of the strands used for SULTAN sample fabrication is investigated in details. The paper includes the analysis of voltage-current and voltage-temperature characteristics. An assessment of strain influence on the performance and transition parameters (n and T0) of the strands is also presented. The results obtained for strands are compared with the test results of SULTAN sample RFTF2.

A superconducting magnetic coil includes a plurality of sections positioned axially along the longitudinal axis of the coil, each section being formed of an anisotropic high temperature superconductor material wound about a longitudinal axis of the coil and having an associated critical current value that is dependent on the orientation of the magnetic field of the coil. The cross section of the superconductor, or the type of superconductor material, at sections along the axial and radial axes of the coil are changed to provide an increased critical current at those regions where the magnetic field is oriented more perpendicularly to the conductor plane, to thereby increase the critical current at these regions and to maintain an overall higher critical current of the coil.

A superconducting magnetic coil includes a plurality of sections positioned axially along the longitudinal axis of the coil, each section being formed of an anisotropic high temperature superconductor material wound about a longitudinal axis of the coil and having an associated critical current value that is dependent on the orientation of the magnetic field of the coil. The cross section of the superconductor, or the type of superconductor material, at sections along the axial and radial axes of the coil are changed to provide an increased critical current at those regions where the magnetic field is oriented more perpendicularly to the conductor plane, to thereby increase the critical current at these regions and to maintain an overall higher critical current of the coil. 15 figs.

A superconducting magnetic coil includes a plurality of sections positioned axially along the longitudinal axis of the coil, each section being formed of an anisotropic high temperature superconductor material wound about a longitudinal axis of the coil and having an associated critical current value that is dependent on the orientation of the magnetic field of the coil. The cross section of the superconductor, or the type of superconductor material, at sections along the axial and radial axes of the coil are changed to provide an increased critical current at those regions where the magnetic field is oriented more perpendicularly to the conductor plane, to thereby increase the critical current at these regions and to maintain an overall higher critical current of the coil.

Electromagnetic coil degrades in steps when faults occur, continues to operate at reduced level instead of failing catastrophically. Made in segments connected in series and separated by electrically insulating barriers. Fault does not damage adjacent components or create hazard. Used to control valves in such critical applications as cooling systems of power generators and chemical process equipment, where flammable liquids or gases handled. Also adapts to electrical control of motors.

The controlled power outer coil set of the first 100 T non-destructive (100 T ND) magnet is described. This magnet will be installed as part of the user facility research equipment at the National High Magnetic Field laboratory (NHMFL) Pulsed Field Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The 100 T ND controlled power outer coil set consists of seven nested, mechanically independent externally reinforced coils. These coils, in combination, will produce a 47 T platform field in a 225-mm diameter bore. Using inertial energy storage a synchronous motor/generator provides ac power to a set of seven ac-dc converters rated at 64 MW/80 MVA each. These converters energize three independent coil circuits to create 170 MJ of field energy in the outer coil set at the platform field of 47 T. Each coil consists of a multi-layer winding of high strength conductor supported by an external high strength stainless steel shell. Coils with the highest magnetic loads will utilize a reinforcing shell fabricated from highly cold worked 301 stainless steel strip. The autofrettage conditioning method will be used to pre-stress the coils and thereby limit conductor and reinforcement strains to the elastic range. The purpose of pre-stressing the coils is to attain a design life of 10,000 full field pulses. The operation and conditioning of the coil set will be described along with special features of its design, magnetic and structural analyses and construction.

A coil system for a plasmoid thruster includes a bias coil, a drive coil and field coils. The bias and drive coils are interleaved with one another as they are helically wound about a conical region. A first field coil defines a first passage at one end of the conical region, and is connected in series with the bias coil. A second field coil defines a second passage at an opposing end of the conical region, and is connected in series with the bias coil.

Taking the relay of the large Hadron collider (LHC) at CERN, ITER has become the largest project in applied superconductivity. In addition to its technical complexity, ITER is also a management challenge as it relies on an unprecedented collaboration of seven partners, representing more than half of the world population, who provide 90% of the components as in-kind contributions. The ITER magnet system is one of the most sophisticated superconducting magnet systems ever designed, with an enormous stored energy of 51 GJ. It involves six of the ITER partners. The coils are wound from cable-in-conduit conductors (CICCs) made up of superconducting and copper strands assembled into a multistage cable, inserted into a conduit of butt-welded austenitic steel tubes. The conductors for the toroidal field (TF) and central solenoid (CS) coils require about 600 t of Nb3Sn strands while the poloidal field (PF) and correction coil (CC) and busbar conductors need around 275 t of Nb-Ti strands. The required amount of Nb3Sn strands far exceeds pre-existing industrial capacity and has called for a significant worldwide production scale up. The TF conductors are the first ITER components to be mass produced and are more than 50% complete. During its life time, the CS coil will have to sustain several tens of thousands of electromagnetic (EM) cycles to high current and field conditions, way beyond anything a large Nb3Sn coil has ever experienced. Following a comprehensive R&D program, a technical solution has been found for the CS conductor, which ensures stable performance versus EM and thermal cycling. Productions of PF, CC and busbar conductors are also underway. After an introduction to the ITER project and magnet system, we describe the ITER conductor procurements and the quality assurance/quality control programs that have been implemented to ensure production uniformity across numerous suppliers. Then, we provide examples of technical challenges that have been encountered and

A study is made of the transients caused by the fast dump of large superconducting coils. Theoretical analysis, computer simulation, and actual measurements are used. Theoretical analysis can only be applied to the simplest of models. In the computer simulations two models are used, one in which the coil is divided into ten segments and another in which a single coil is employed. The circuit breaker that interrupts the current to the power supply, causing a fast dump, is represented by a time and current dependent conductance. Actual measurements are limited to measurements made incidental to performance tests on the MFTF Yin-yang coils. It is found that the breaker opening time is the critical factor in determining the size and shape of the transient. Instantaneous opening of the breaker causes a lightly damped transient with large amplitude voltages to ground. Increasing the opening time causes the transient to become a monopulse of decreasing amplitude. The voltages at the external terminals are determined by the parameters of the external circuit. For fast opening times the frequency depends on the dump resistor inductance, the circuit capacitance, and the amplitude on the coil current. For slower openings the dump resistor inductance and the current determine the amplitude of the voltage to ground at the terminals. Voltages to ground are less in the interior of the coil, where transients related to the parameters of the coil itself are observed.

The transient thermal model RACLETTE (acronym of Rate Analysis Code for pLasma Energy Transfer Transient Evaluation) described in part I of this paper is applied here to analyse the heat transfer and erosion effects of various slow (100 ms-10 s) high power energy transients on the actively cooled plasma facing components (PFCs) of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). These have a strong bearing on the PFC design and need careful analysis. The relevant parameters affecting the heat transfer during the plasma excursions are established. The temperature variation with time and space is evaluated together with the extent of vaporisation and melting (the latter only for metals) for the different candidate armour materials considered for the design (i.e., Be for the primary first wall, Be and CFCs for the limiter, Be, W, and CFCs for the divertor plates) and including for certain cases low-density vapour shielding effects. The critical heat flux, the change of the coolant parameters and the possible severe degradation of the coolant heat removal capability that could result under certain conditions during these transients, for example for the limiter, are also evaluated. Based on the results, the design implications on the heat removal performance and erosion damage of the variuos ITER PFCs are critically discussed and some recommendations are made for the selection of the most adequate protection materials and optimum armour thickness.

This paper presents the performance of two types of electromagnetic energy harvester, one using manually wound coil wire (EH-EC) and the other one using printed circuit board (PCB) coil (EH-EP). The objective of the study is to measure the corresponding output voltage and power by varying the number of coils and the position of the magnet. The experiment was conducted at a fix 50 Hz of frequency and at 0.25g of acceleration. The EH-EP was found to be more effective than the 350 turns of the wound coil wire, with maximum power of 26 μW. Overall, the performance of the EH-EC showed better result with maximum power of 125 μW for 1050 turns when compared to the EH-EP.

Large Type-I edge localized modes (ELMs) are completely eliminated with small n = 3 resonant magnetic perturbations (RMP) in low average triangularity, = 0.26, plasmas and in ITER similar shaped (ISS) plasmas, = 0.53, with ITER relevant collisionalities ve 0.2. Significant differences in the RMP requirements and in the properties of the ELM suppressed plasmas are found when comparing the two triangularities. In ISS plasmas, the current required to suppress ELMs is approximately 25% higher than in low average triangularity plasmas. It is also found that the width of the resonant q95 window required for ELM suppression is smaller in ISS plasmas than in low average triangularity plasmas. An analysis of the positions and widths of resonant magnetic islands across the pedestal region, in the absence of resonant field screening or a self-consistent plasma response, indicates that differences in the shape of the q profile may explain the need for higher RMP coil currents during ELM suppression in ISS plasmas. Changes in the pedestal profiles are compared for each plasma shape as well as with changes in the injected neutral beam power and the RMP amplitude. Implications of these results are discussed in terms of requirements for optimal ELM control coil designs and for establishing the physics basis needed in order to scale this approach to future burning plasma devices such as ITER.

Large Type-I edge localized modes (ELMs) are completely eliminated with small n = 3 resonant magnetic perturbations (RMP) in low average triangularity, \\bar {\\delta }=0.26 , plasmas and in ITER similar shaped (ISS) plasmas, \\bar {\\delta }=0.53 , with ITER relevant collisionalities v_e^\\ast \\le 0.2 . Significant differences in the RMP requirements and in the properties of the ELM suppressed plasmas are found when comparing the two triangularities. In ISS plasmas, the current required to suppress ELMs is approximately 25% higher than in low average triangularity plasmas. It is also found that the width of the resonant q95 window required for ELM suppression is smaller in ISS plasmas than in low average triangularity plasmas. An analysis of the positions and widths of resonant magnetic islands across the pedestal region, in the absence of resonant field screening or a self-consistent plasma response, indicates that differences in the shape of the q profile may explain the need for higher RMP coil currents during ELM suppression in ISS plasmas. Changes in the pedestal profiles are compared for each plasma shape as well as with changes in the injected neutral beam power and the RMP amplitude. Implications of these results are discussed in terms of requirements for optimal ELM control coil designs and for establishing the physics basis needed in order to scale this approach to future burning plasma devices such as ITER.

An upgraded divertor coil system is being commissioned on the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment in conjunction with power system upgrades in order to achieve higher β plasmas, reduce impurities, and possibly achieve H-mode operation. Design points for the divertor coil locations and estimates of their necessary current ratings were found using predictive equilibrium modeling based upon a 300 kA target plasma. This modeling represented existing Pegasus coil locations and current drive limits. The resultant design calls for 125 kA-turns from the divertor system to support the creation of a double null magnetic topology in plasmas with Ip<=300 kA. Initial experiments using this system will employ 900 V IGBT power supply modules to provide IDIV<=4 kA. The resulting 20 kA-turn capability of the existing divertor coil will be augmented by a new coil providing additional A-turns in series. Induced vessel wall current modeling indicates the time response of a 28 turn augmentation coil remains fast compared to the poloidal field penetration rate through the vessel. First results operating the augmented system are shown.

Sliding mechanics have become a popular method for space closure, with the development of preadjusted edgewise appliances. Furthermore, various space closing auxiliaries have been developed and extensively evaluated for their clinical efficiency. Their effectiveness is enhanced with optimum force magnitude and low load deflection rate/force decay. With the advent of nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) springs in orthodontics, load deflection rates have been markedly reduced. To use Ni-Ti springs, clinicians have to depend upon prefabricated closed coil springs. The open coil traction system, or open coil retraction spring, is developed utilizing Ni-Ti open coil springs for orthodontic space closure. This article describes the fabrication and clinical application of the open coil traction system, which has a number of advantages. It sustains a low load deflection rate with optimum force magnitude, and its design is adjustable for a desired length and force level. It is fail-safe for both activation and deactivation (ie, it cannot be overactivated, and the decompression limit of the open coil is controlled by the operator). The open coil traction system can be offset from the mucosa to help reduce soft tissue impingement. PMID:22567645

Coiledcoils with defined assembly properties and dissociation constants are highly attractive components in synthetic biology and for fabrication of peptide-based hybrid nanomaterials and nanostructures. Complex assemblies based on multiple different peptides typically require orthogonal peptides obtained by negative design. Negative design does not necessarily exclude formation of undesired species and may eventually compromise the stability of the desired coiledcoils. This work describe a set of four promiscuous 28-residue de novo designed peptides that heterodimerize and fold into parallel coiledcoils. The peptides are non-orthogonal and can form four different heterodimers albeit with large differences in affinities. The peptides display dissociation constants for dimerization spanning from the micromolar to the picomolar range. The significant differences in affinities for dimerization make the peptides prone to thermodynamic social self-sorting as shown by thermal unfolding and fluorescence experiments, and confirmed by simulations. The peptides self-sort with high fidelity to form the two coiledcoils with the highest and lowest affinities for heterodimerization. The possibility to exploit self-sorting of mutually complementary peptides could hence be a viable approach to guide the assembly of higher order architectures and a powerful strategy for fabrication of dynamic and tuneable nanostructured materials. PMID:26370878

A wire cable assembly adapted for the winding of electrical coils is taught. A primary intended use is for use in particle tube assemblies for the Superconducting Super Collider. The correction coil cables have wires collected in wire array with a center rib sandwiched therebetween to form a core assembly. The core assembly is surrounded by an assembly housing having an inner spiral wrap and a counter wound outer spiral wrap. An alternate embodiment of the invention is rolled into a keystoned shape to improve radial alignment of the correction coil cable on a particle tube in a particle tube assembly. 7 figs.

A simple venting device for trapped gas pockets in hydraulic systems is inserted through a small access passages, operated remotely, and removed completely. The device comprises a small diameter, closely wound coil spring which is pushed through a guide temporarily inserted in the access passage. The guide has a central passageway which directs the coil spring radially upward into the pocket, so that, with the guide properly positioned for depth and properly oriented, the coil spring can be pushed up into the top of the pocket to vent it. By positioning a seal around the free end of the guide, the spring and guide are removed and the passage is sealed.

A compactly wound electrical coil is designed for carrying intense pulsed currents such as are characteristic of controlled thermonuclear reaction devices. A flat strip of conductor is tightly wound in a spiral with a matching flat strip of insulator. To provide for a high fluid coolant flow through the coil with minimum pumping pressure, a surface of the conductor is scored with parallel transverse grooves which form short longitudinal coolant pasaages when the conductor is wound in the spiral configuration. Owing to this construction, the coil is extremely resistant to thermal and magnetic shock from sudden high currents. (AEC)

Together with the well-known ferro- and antiferromagnetic ordering, nature has created a variety of complex helical magnetic configurations. Here, we design and investigate three-dimensional microhelix coil structures that are radial-, corkscrew-, and hollow-bar-magnetized. The magnetization configurations of the differently magnetized coils are experimentally revealed by probing their specific dynamic response to an external magnetic field. Helix coils offer an opportunity to realize microscale geometries of the magnetic toroidal moment, observed so far only in bulk multiferroic materials. PMID:21929266

Together with the well-known ferro- and antiferromagnetic ordering, nature has created a variety of complex helical magnetic configurations. Here, we design and investigate three-dimensional microhelix coil structures that are radial-, corkscrew-, and hollow-bar-magnetized. The magnetization configurations of the differently magnetized coils are experimentally revealed by probing their specific dynamic response to an external magnetic field. Helix coils offer an opportunity to realize microscale geometries of the magnetic toroidal moment, observed so far only in bulk multiferroic materials.

An electromagnetic (EM) analytic model for the PF feeder, applied to ITER and needed to convey the cryogenic supply and electrical power to the PF magnets, was built up. The magnetic flux density and the EM force under the worst conditions with the maximum working current in each coil were then calculated. Based on the EM analysis and theoretical calculation, the relationship between the busbar stress and the distance of neighbouring busbar supports was obtained, which provides an approach to optimize the design of the busbar supports. In order to check the feasibility of the PF feeder structure, a finite element model was built up and the ANSYS code was applied to analyze the stress and displacement. The numerical results show that the stress of the PF feeder is within the allowable limits and the structure is feasible.

Oligomerization is an important regulatory mechanism for many proteins, including oncoproteins and other pathogenic proteins. The oncoprotein Bcr-Abl relies on oligomerization via its coiledcoil domain for its kinase activity, suggesting that a designed coiledcoil domain with enhanced binding to Bcr-Abl and reduced self-oligomerization would be therapeutically useful. Key mutations in the coiledcoil domain of Bcr-Abl were identified that reduce homo-oligomerization through intermolecular charge-charge repulsion yet increase interaction with the Bcr-Abl coiledcoil through additional salt bridges, resulting in an enhanced ability to disrupt the oligomeric state of Bcr-Abl. The mutations were modeled computationally to optimize the design. Assays performed in vitro confirmed the validity and functionality of the optimal mutations, which were found to exhibit reduced homo-oligomerization and increased binding to the Bcr-Abl coiledcoil domain. Introduction of the mutant coiledcoil into K562 cells resulted in decreased phosphorylation of Bcr-Abl, reduced cell proliferation, and increased caspase-3/7 activity and DNA segmentation. Importantly, the mutant coiledcoil domain was more efficacious than the wild type in all experiments performed. The improved inhibition of Bcr-Abl through oligomeric disruption resulting from this modified coiledcoil domain represents a viable alternative to small molecule inhibitors for therapeutic intervention. PMID:21659527

A new model is proposed to explain coiling of myelins composed of fluid bilayers. This model allows the constituent bilayer cylinders of a myelin to be non-coaxial and the bilayer lateral tension to vary from bilayer to bilayer. The calculations show that a myelin would bend or coil to lower its free energy when the bilayer lateral tension is sufficiently large. From a mechanical point of view, the proposed coiling mechanism is analogous to the classical Euler buckling of a thin elastic rod under axial compression. The analysis of a simple two-bilayer case suggests that a bilayer lateral tension of about 1 dyne/cm can easily induce coiling of myelins of typical lipid bilayers. This model signifies the importance of bilayer lateral tension in determining the morphology of myelinic structures. PMID:16465468

There are three primary goals for the Neutron Activation system for ITER: maintain a robust relative measure of fusion power with stability and high dynamic range (7 orders of magnitude); allow an absolute calibration of fusion power (energy); and provide a flexible and reliable system for materials testing. The nature of the activation technique is such that stability and high dynamic range can be intrinsic properties of the system. It has also been the technique that demonstrated (on JET and TFTR) the highest accuracy neutron measurements in DT operation. Since the gamma-ray detectors are not located on the tokamak and are therefore amenable to accurate characterization, and if material foils are placed very close to the ITER plasma with minimum scattering or attenuation, high overall accuracy in the fusion energy production (7--10%) should be achievable on ITER. In the paper, a conceptual design is presented. A system is shown to be capable of meeting these three goals, also detailed design issues remain to be solved.

The field distributions in a slotted-type Lisitano coil are analyzed using a simple antenna model, and the microwave power is theoretically found to be supplied near the center of the coil. Field intensities in the Lisitano coil measured with a calibrated loop antenna are compared with the theoretical values, and results supporting the analysis are obtained. The field distributions in a vacuum chamber were also measured.

The National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) is an experimental device whose design and construction is underway at the Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). The primary coil systems for the NCSX device consist of the twisted plasma-shaping Modular Coils, the Poloidal Field Coils, and the Toroidal Field (TF) Coils. The TF Coils are D-shaped coils wound from hollow copper conductor, and vacuum impregnated with a glass-epoxy resin system. There are 18 identical, equally spaced TF coils providing 1/R field at the plasma. They operate within a cryostat, and are cooled by LN2, nominally, to 80K. Wedge shaped castings are assembled to the inboard face of these coils, so that inward radial loads are reacted via the nesting of each of the coils against their adjacent partners. This paper outlines the TF Coil design methodology, reviews the analysis results, and summarizes how the design and analysis support the design requirements.

A heterogeneous material construction has been devised for sensing coils of superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometers that are subject to a combination of requirements peculiar to some advanced applications, notably including low-field magnetic resonance imaging for medical diagnosis. The requirements in question are the following: The sensing coils must be large enough (in some cases having dimensions of as much as tens of centimeters) to afford adequate sensitivity; The sensing coils must be made electrically superconductive to eliminate Johnson noise (thermally induced noise proportional to electrical resistance); and Although the sensing coils must be cooled to below their superconducting- transition temperatures with sufficient cooling power to overcome moderate ambient radiative heat leakage, they must not be immersed in cryogenic liquid baths. For a given superconducting sensing coil, this combination of requirements can be satisfied by providing a sufficiently thermally conductive link between the coil and a cold source. However, the superconducting coil material is not suitable as such a link because electrically superconductive materials are typically poor thermal conductors. The heterogeneous material construction makes it possible to solve both the electrical- and thermal-conductivity problems. The basic idea is to construct the coil as a skeleton made of a highly thermally conductive material (typically, annealed copper), then coat the skeleton with an electrically superconductive alloy (typically, a lead-tin solder) [see figure]. In operation, the copper skeleton provides the required thermally conductive connection to the cold source, while the electrically superconductive coating material shields against Johnson noise that originates in the copper skeleton.

Magnetic fields are permeable to the biological tissues and can induce electric field in the conductive structures. Some medical devices take advantage of this ability to transfer energy from the source to the receiving site without direct contact. Prosthetic devices such as retinal implants use time-varying magnetic field to achieve wireless power transfer to the implanted magnetic coil. However, devices such as magnetic stimulators use the induction principle to create an electric field at the stimulation site. Efficiency of these devices is primarily dependent on the design of the magnetic coils. Therefore, in this work, we designed and validated efficient magnetic coils for wireless power transfer to implanted devices and magnetic stimulation of the peripheral nerves. Typical wireless power transfer (WPT) systems uses two-coil based design to achieve contactless power transfer to the implanted electronics. These systems achieve low power transfer efficiency (< 30%) and frequency bandwidth. Moreover, efficient wireless system requires high coupling and load variation tolerance during device operation. To design an electromagnetic safe WPT system, the power absorbed by the tissue and radiated field due to the proximal magnetic coils needs to be minimized. In this work, we proposed a multi-coilpower transfer system which solves some of the current challenges. The proposed multi-coil WPT system achieves more than twice the power transfer efficiency, controllable voltage gain, wider frequency bandwidth, higher tolerance to coupling and load variations, lower absorbed power in the tissue and lower radiated field from the magnetic coil than a comparable two-coil system. In this work, we have developed analytic models of the multi-coil WPT system and validated the accuracy of the solutions using experiments. Magnetic coils play an important role in controlling the distribution of induced electric field inside the nerve during magnetic stimulation. In the past

Coiledcoils are a fundamental emergent motif in proteins found in structural biomaterials, consisting of α-helical secondary structures wrapped in a supercoil. A fundamental question regarding the thermal and mechanical stability of coiledcoils in extreme environments is the sequence of events leading to the disassembly of individual oligomers from the universal coiled-coil motifs. To shed light on this phenomenon, here we report atomistic simulations of a trimeric coiledcoil in an explicit water solvent and investigate the mechanisms underlying helix unfolding and coil unzipping in the assembly. We employ advanced sampling techniques involving steered molecular dynamics and metadynamics simulations to obtain the free-energy landscapes of single-strand unfolding and unzipping in a three-stranded assembly. Our comparative analysis of the free-energy landscapes of instability pathways shows that coil unzipping is a sequential process involving multiple intermediates. At each intermediate state, one heptad repeat of the coiledcoil first unfolds and then unzips due to the loss of contacts with the hydrophobic core. This observation suggests that helix unfolding facilitates the initiation of coiled-coil disassembly, which is confirmed by our 2D metadynamics simulations showing that unzipping of one strand requires less energy in the unfolded state compared with the folded state. Our results explain recent experimental findings and lay the groundwork for studying the hierarchical molecular mechanisms that underpin the thermomechanical stability/instability of coiledcoils and similar protein assemblies. PMID:25028889

The purpose of this paper is to assess the expected response of conventional and non-conventional quench detection sensors proposed for the ITERcoils, and to be tested in the QUELL experiment in SULTAN. The assessment is based on simulation of thermohydraulic transients in the ITERcoils for various operating conditions, and a tentative definition of the transfer functions of each sensor concept. It is shown that, for the investigated conditions, the co-wound voltage taps are more accurate than hydraulic systems and conventional voltage balance methods. The additional complication associated with the insertion of taps in the conductor is well offset by the low sensitivity to external disturbances.

A 5 kHz full power modulation experiment is demonstrated on a 170 GHz gyrotron. 5 kHz high-power and beam on/off modulation is achieved by employing a fast short-circuited switch between the anode and the cathode of the triode-type electron gun (single anode switch). Lower heat load on the cavity and the collector compared with continuous-wave operation realizes more than 1 MW oscillation with 1 MW designed gyrotron. The maximum achieved power is 1.16 MW with an electrical efficiency of 48%. In the high-efficiency operation, an unwanted mode oscillation is observed at the start-up phase of each pulse, which is induced by the slow voltage rise time of the anode. For faster rise of the anode voltage, another fast switch is inserted between an anode voltage divider and the anode (double anode switch). In the experiment, successful fast start-up of the anode voltage and minimized unwanted mode generation are observed.

This report is a study of the transients caused by the fast dump of large superconducting coils. Theoretical analysis, computer simulation, and actual measurements are used. Theoretical analysis can only be applied to the simplest of models. In the computer simulations two models are used, one in which the coil is divided into ten segments and another in which a single coil is employed. The circuit breaker that interrupts the current to the power supply, causing a fast dump, is represented by a time and current dependent conductance. Actual measurements are limited to measurements made incidental to the coils' performance tests.

A transcutaneous energy transmission system (TETS) for artificial hearts and ventricular assist devices uses electrical coupling of power between external and implanted coils. If the position of coils changes relative to each other, the TETS cannot feed the required power of the implanted device. During activity or sleep, the coils may move accidentally. TETS users and the people around them have to pay attention to this because the range of the position where the required power can be fed efficiently is not wide. Therefore, we added functions for the position changes of the coils to the TETS. Regular, cautious, and irregular positions were introduced, and the ranges of them were decided upon in our experiments. The cautious position was determined by the area where the change of the relative position of the coils was relatively small. When the coils were in the cautious position, the circuit was tuned by way of changing the resonant point. This modulation could give good power efficiency in the cautious position. When the coils were in the irregular position, an alarm switch was turned on. These functions ease the restriction of the coil position and give better quality of life (QOL) than do the conventional TETS. PMID:12918593

Coiledcoils are characteristic rope-like protein structures, constituted by one or more heptad repeats. Native coiled-coil structures play important roles in various biological processes, while the designed ones are widely employed in medicine and industry. To date, two major oligomeric states (i.e. dimeric and trimeric states) of a coiled-coil structure have been observed, plausibly exerting different biological functions. Therefore, exploration of the relationship between heptad repeat sequences and coiledcoil structures is highly important. In this paper, we develop a new method named AAFreqCoil to classify parallel dimeric and trimeric coiledcoils. Our method demonstrated its competitive performance when benchmarked based on 10-fold cross validation and jackknife cross validation. Meanwhile, the rules that can explicitly explain the prediction results of the test coiledcoil can be extracted from the AAFreqCoil model for a better explanation of user predictions. A web server and stand-alone program implementing the AAFreqCoil algorithm are freely available at . PMID:25918905

ITER magnetic diagnostics are now in their detailed design and R and D phase. They have passed their conceptual design reviews and a working diagnostic specification has been prepared aimed at the ITER project requirements. This paper highlights specific design progress, in particular, for the in-vessel coils, steady state sensors, saddle loops and divertor sensors. Key changes in the measurement specifications, and a working concept of software and electronics are also outlined.

A wire cable assembly (10, 310) adapted for the winding of electrical coils is taught. A primary intended use is for use in particle tube assemblies (532) for the superconducting super collider. The correction coil cables (10, 310) have wires (14, 314) collected in wire arrays (12, 312) with a center rib (16, 316) sandwiched therebetween to form a core assembly (18, 318 ). The core assembly (18, 318) is surrounded by an assembly housing (20, 320) having an inner spiral wrap (22, 322) and a counter wound outer spiral wrap (24, 324). An alternate embodiment (410) of the invention is rolled into a keystoned shape to improve radial alignment of the correction coil cable (410) on a particle tube (733) in a particle tube assembly (732).

Common iterative algorithms to calculate a few extreme eigenvalues of a large, sparse matrix are Lanczos methods or poweriterations. They converge at a rate proportional to the separation of the extreme eigenvalues from the rest of the spectrum. Appropriate preconditioning improves the separation of the eigenvalues. Davidson`s method and its generalizations exploit this fact. The authors examine a preconditioned iteration that resembles a truncated version of Davidson`s method with a different preconditioning strategy.

Qualification of the ITER conductor is absolutely necessary. Testing large scale conductors is expensive and time consuming. To test straight 3-4m long samples in a bore of a split solenoid is a relatively economical way in comparison with fabrication of a coil to be tested in a bore of a background field solenoid. However, testing short sample may give ambiguous results due to different constraints in current redistribution in the cable or other end effects which are not present in the large magnet. This paper discusses processes taking place in the ITER conductor, conditions when conductor performance could be distorted and possible signal processing to deduce behavior of ITER conductors in ITER magnets from the test data.

A rope falling onto a solid surface typically forms a series of regular coils. Here, we study this phenomenon using laboratory experiments (with cotton threads and softened spaghetti) and an asymptotic “slender-rope” numerical model. The excellent agreement between the two with no adjustable parameters allows us to determine a complete phase diagram for elastic coiling comprising three basic regimes involving different force balances (elastic, gravitational, and inertial) together with resonant “whirling string” and “whirling shaft” eigenmodes in the inertial regime.

Purpose: Combining x-ray fluoroscopy and MR imaging systems for guidance of interventional procedures has become more commonplace. By designing an x-ray tube that is immune to the magnetic fields outside of the MR bore, the two systems can be placed in close proximity to each other. A major obstacle to robust x-ray tube design is correcting for the effects of the magnetic fields on the x-ray tube focal spot. A potential solution is to design active shielding that locally cancels the magnetic fields near the focal spot. Methods: An iterative optimization algorithm is implemented to design resistive active shielding coils that will be placed outside the x-ray tube insert. The optimization procedure attempts to minimize the power consumption of the shielding coils while satisfying magnetic field homogeneity constraints. The algorithm is composed of a linear programming step and a nonlinear programming step that are interleaved with each other. The coil results are verified using a finite element space charge simulation of the electron beam inside the x-ray tube. To alleviate heating concerns an optimized coil solution is derived that includes a neodymium permanent magnet. Any demagnetization of the permanent magnet is calculated prior to solving for the optimized coils. The temperature dynamics of the coil solutions are calculated using a lumped parameter model, which is used to estimate operation times of the coils before temperature failure. Results: For a magnetic field strength of 88 mT, the algorithm solves for coils that consume 588 A/cm2. This specific coil geometry can operate for 15 min continuously before reaching temperature failure. By including a neodymium magnet in the design the current density drops to 337 A/cm2, which increases the operation time to 59 min. Space charge simulations verify that the coil designs are effective, but for oblique x-ray tube geometries there is still distortion of the focal spot shape along with deflections of approximately

Power Supply Controls are being developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to test transmission line components of the Electron Cyclotron Heating (ECH) system, with a focus on gyrotrons and waveguides, in support of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The control is performed by several Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC s) located near the different equipment. A technique of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) is presented to monitor, control, and log actions of the PLC s on a PC through use of Allen Bradley s Remote I/O communication interface coupled with an Open Process Control/Object Linking and Embedding [OLE] for Process Control (OPC) Server/Client architecture. The OPC data is then linked to a National Instruments (NI) LabVIEW system for monitoring and control. Details of the architecture and insight into applicability to other systems are presented in the rest of this paper. Future integration with an EPICS (Experimental Physics Industrial Control System) based mini-CODAC (Control, Data Access and Communication) SCADA system is under consideration, and integration considerations will be briefly introduced.

The author teaches clay vessel construction in the fifth grade, and it is amazing what can be accomplished in one forty-five minute period when the expectations are clarified in the initial lesson. The author introduces clay coil vessels with a discussion of the sources of clay and how clay relates to fifth-grade science curriculum concepts such…

Modified magnetic field coil geometries as described in U.S. Patent Applications US20100194506 and US20110247414 can produce substantially greater magnetic field homogeneity as compared to the traditional realized versions of idealized magnetic coil geometries such as spherical or Helmholtz. The new coil geometries will be described in detail and will be compared and contrasted to realized versions of idealized geometries, including discussion of errors not typically accounted for in traditional coil design and analysis.

Spiral-like coil is printed with several extra turns which increase the realizable coil inductance. Included are shorting connections which not only short the extra turns, but also short out several turns of the main body. Coil tuning is accomplished by removing the shorts until the desired inductance is obtained.

The ITER Cryogenic System includes three identical liquid helium (LHe) plants, with a total average cooling capacity equivalent to 75 kW at 4.5 K.The LHe plants provide the 4.5 K cooling power to the magnets and cryopumps. They are designed to operate in parallel and to handle heavy load variations.In this proceedingwe will describe the presentstatusof the ITER LHe plants with emphasis on i) the project schedule, ii) the plantscharacteristics/layout and iii) the basic principles and control strategies for a stable operation of the three LHe plants in parallel.

The highly abundant α-helical coiled-coil motif not only mediates crucial protein–protein interactions in the cell but is also an attractive scaffold in synthetic biology and material science and a potential target for disease intervention. Therefore a systematic understanding of the coiled-coil interactions (CCIs) at the organismal level would help unravel the full spectrum of the biological function of this interaction motif and facilitate its application in therapeutics. We report the first identified genome-wide CCI network in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which consists of 3495 pair-wise interactions among 598 predicted coiled-coil regions. Computational analysis revealed that the CCI network is specifically and functionally organized and extensively involved in the organization of cell machinery. We further show that CCIs play a critical role in the assembly of the kinetochore, and disruption of the CCI network leads to defects in kinetochore assembly and cell division. The CCI network identified in this study is a valuable resource for systematic characterization of coiledcoils in the shaping and regulation of a host of cellular machineries and provides a basis for the utilization of coiledcoils as domain-based probes for network perturbation and pharmacological applications. PMID:22875988

US ITER Project Manager Ned Sauthoff, joined by Wayne Reiersen, Team Leader Magnet Systems, and Jan Berry, Team Leader Tokamak Cooling System, discuss the U.S.'s role in the ITER international collaboration.

Continuous-wave (CW) electromagnetic induction (EMI) systems used for subsurface sensing typically employ separate transmit and receive coils placed in close proximity. The closeness of the coils is desirable for both packaging and object pinpointing; however, the coils must have as little mutual coupling as possible. Otherwise, the signal from the transmit coil will couple into the receive coil, making target detection difficult or impossible. Additionally, mineralized soil can be a significant problem when attempting to detect small amounts of metal because the soil effectively couples the transmit and receive coils. Optimization of wire coils to improve their performance is difficult but can be made possible through a stream-function representation and the use of partially convex forms. Examples of such methods have been presented previously, but these methods did not account for certain practical issues with coil implementation. In this paper, the power constraint introduced into the optimization routine is modified so that it does not penalize areas of high current. It does this by representing the coils as plates carrying surface currents and adjusting the sheet resistance to be inversely proportional to the current, which is a good approximation for a wire-wound coil. Example coils are then optimized for minimum mutual coupling, maximum sensitivity, and minimum soil response at a given height with both the earlier, constant sheet resistance and the new representation. The two sets of coils are compared both to each other and other common coil types to show the method's viability.

Traditionally the design cycle for magnetic fields involves guessing at a reasonable conductor and magnetic material configuration, using finite element analysis (FEA) software to calculate the resulting field, modifying the configuration, and iterating to produce the desired results. We take the opposite approach of specifying the required magnetic field, imposing it as a boundary condition on the region of interest, and then solving the Laplace equation to determine the field outside that region. The exact conductor configuration along the boundaries is extracted from the magnetic scalar potential in a trivial manner. This method is being applied to design a coils for the neutron EDM experiment, and an RF waveguide in a new design of a neutron resonant spin flipper for the n-3He experiment. Both experiments will run at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Partially supported by the NSF under grant PHY-0855584.

This report gives the results of a series of measurements on the secondary voltage induced in an ignition coil of typical construction under a variety of operating conditions. These results show that the theoretical predictions hitherto made as to the behavior of this type of apparatus are in satisfactory agreement with the observed facts. The large mass of data obtained is here published both for the use of other investigators who may wish to compare them with other theoretical predictions and for the use of automotive engineers who will here find definite experimental results showing the effect of secondary capacity and resistance on the crest voltage produced by ignition apparatus.

Null flux were suggested by Danby and Powell in the late 1960`s as a useful means for realizing induced lift with little drag. As an array of alternating magnets is translated past a set of null flux coils, the currents induced in these coils act to vertically center the magnets on those coils. At present, one Japanese MAGLEV system company and two American-based companies are employing either null flux or flux eliminating coils in their design for high speed magnetically levitated transportation. The principle question addressed in paper is: what is the proper choice of coil length to magnet length in a null flux system? A generic analysis in the time and frequency domain is laid out with the intent of showing the optimal design specification in terms of coil parameters.

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is collaborating with Waukesha Electric Systems (WES) to continue development of HTS power transformers. For compatibility with the existing power grid, a commercially viable HTS transformer will have to operate at high voltages in the range of 138 kV and above, and will have to withstand 550-kV impulse voltages as well. Second-generation (2G) YBCO coated conductors will be required for an economically-competitive design. In order to adequately size the refrigeration system for these transformers, the ac loss of these HTS coils must be characterized. Electrical AC loss measurements were conducted on a prototype high voltage (HV) coil with co-wound stainless steel at 60 Hz in a liquid nitrogen bath using a lock-in amplifier technique. The prototype HV coil consisted of 26 continuous (without splice) single pancake coils concentrically centered on a stainless steel former. For ac loss measurement purposes, voltage tap pairs were soldered across each set of two single pancake coils so that a total of 13 separate voltage measurements could be made across the entire length of the coil. AC loss measurements were taken as a function of ac excitation current. Results show that the loss is primarily concentrated at the ends of the coil where the operating fraction of critical current is the highest and show a distinct difference in current scaling of the losses between low current and high current regimes.

In Tokomak, the support of the ELM coil, which is close to the plasma and subject to high radiation level, high temperature and high magnetic field, is used to transport and bear the thermal load due to thermal expansion and the alternating electromagnetic force generated by high magnetic field and AC current in the coil. According to the feature of ITER ELM coil, the mechanical performance of rigid and flexible supports under different high nuclear heat levels is studied. Results show that flexible supports have more excellent performance in high nuclear heat condition than rigid supports. Concerning thermal and electromagnetic (EM) loads, optimized results further prove that flexible supports have better mechanical performance than rigid ones. Through these studies, reasonable support design can be provided for the ELM coils or similar coils in Tokamak based on the nuclear heat level.

This paper provides an optimal parametric design for tri-axial nested Helmholtz coils, which are used to generate a uniform magnetic field with controllable magnitude and direction. Circular and square coils, both with square cross section, are considered. Practical considerations such as wire selection, wire-wrapping efficiency, wire bending radius, choice of power supply, and inductance and time response are included. Using the equations provided, a designer can quickly create an optimal set of custom coils to generate a specified field magnitude in the uniform-field region while maintaining specified accessibility to the central workspace. An example case study is included.

An evolutionary process was used to develop the toroidal field (TF) coil design for the ARIES-ST (Spherical Tokamak). Design considerations included fabricability, assembly, maintenance, energy efficiency, and structural robustness. The design addresses a number of the concerns (complexity) and criticisms (high cost, high recirculating power) of fusion. It does this by: (1) Applying advanced, but available laser forming and spray casting techniques for manufacturing the TF coil system; (2) Adopting a simple single toroidal field coil system to make assembly and maintenance much easier, the single turn design avoids the necessity of using the insulation as a structural component of the TF coils, and hence is much more robust than multi-turn designs; and (3) Using a high conductivity copper alloy and modest current densities to keep the recirculating power modest.

Energy can be stored in the magnetic field of a coil. Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) is very promising as a power storage system for load levelling or power stabilizer. However, the strong electromagnetic force caused by high magnetic field and large coil current is a problem in SMES systems. A toroidal configuration would have a much less extensive external magnetic field and electromagnetic forces in winding. The paper describes the design of HTS winding for SMES coil in modular toroid configuration consist of seven Bi-2223 double-pancakes as well as numerical analysis of SMES magnet model using FLUX 3D package. As the results of analysis the paper presents the optimal coil configuration and the parameters such as radius of toroidal magnet, energy stored in magnet and magnetic field distribution.

REACT Project: The University of Houston will develop a low-cost, high-current superconducting wire that could be used in high-power wind generators. Superconducting wire currently transports 600 times more electric current than a similarly sized copper wire, but is significantly more expensive. The University of Houston’s innovation is based on engineering nanoscale defects in the superconducting film. This could quadruple the current relative to today’s superconducting wires, supporting the same amount of current using 25% of the material. This would make wind generators lighter, more powerful and more efficient. The design could result in a several-fold reduction in wire costs and enable their commercial viability of high-power wind generators for use in offshore applications.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive stimulation technique that can be used for the treatment of various neurological disorders such as Parkinson's Disease, PTSD, TBI and anxiety by regulating synaptic activity. TMS is FDA approved for the treatment of major depressive disorder. There is a critical need to develop deep TMS coils that can stimulate deeper regions of the brain without excessively stimulating the cortex in order to provide an alternative to surgical methods. We have developed a novel multi-coil configuration called ``Triple Halo Coil'' (THC) that can stimulate deep brain regions. Investigation of induced electric and magnetic field in these regions have been achieved by computer modelling. Comparison of the results due to THC configuration have been conducted with other TMS coils such as ``Halo Coil'', circular coil and ``Figure of Eight'' coil. There was an improvement of more than 15 times in the strength of magnetic field, induced by THC configuration at 10 cm below the vertex of the head when compared with the ``Figure of Eight'' coil alone. Carver Charitable Trust.

We currently use the CORSICA integrated modeling code for scenario studies for both the DIII-D and ITER experiments. In these simulations, free- or fixed-boundary equilibria are simultaneously converged with thermal evolution determined from transport models providing temperature and current density profiles. Using a combination of fixed boundary evolution followed by free-boundary calculation to determine the separatrix and coil currents. In the free-boundary calculation, we use the state-space controller representation with transport simulations to provide feedback modeling of shape, vertical stability and profile control. In addition to a tightly coupled calculation with simulator and controller imbedded inside CORSICA, we also use a remote procedure call interface to couple the CORSICA non-linear plasma simulations to the controller environments developed within the Mathworks Matlab/Simulink environment. We present transport simulations using full shape and vertical stability control with evolution of the temperature profiles to provide simulations of the ITER controller and plasma response.

A 26 MW Electron Cyclotron Heating and Current Drive (EC H and CD) system is to be installed for ITER. The main objectives are to provide, start-up assist, central H and CD and control of MHD activity. These are achieved by a combination of two types of launchers, one located in an equatorial port and the second type in four upper ports. The physics applications are partitioned between the two launchers, based on the deposition location and driven current profiles. The equatorial launcher (EL) will access from the plasma axis to mid radius with a relatively broad profile useful for central heating and current drive applications, while the upper launchers (ULs) will access roughly the outer half of the plasma radius with a very narrow peaked profile for the control of the Neoclassical Tearing Modes (NTM) and sawtooth oscillations. The EC power can be switched between launchers on a time scale as needed by the immediate physics requirements. A revision of all injection angles of all launchers is under consideration for increased EC physics capabilities while relaxing the engineering constraints of both the EL and ULs. A series of design reviews are being planned with the five parties (EU, IN, JA, RF, US) procuring the EC system, the EC community and ITER Organization (IO). The review meetings qualify the design and provide an environment for enhancing performances while reducing costs, simplifying interfaces, predicting technology upgrades and commercial availability. In parallel, the test programs for critical components are being supported by IO and performed by the Domestic Agencies (DAs) for minimizing risks. The wide participation of the DAs provides a broad representation from the EC community, with the aim of collecting all expertise in guiding the EC system optimization. Still a strong relationship between IO and the DA is essential for optimizing the design of the EC system and for the installation and commissioning of all ex-vessel components when several

A 26 MW Electron Cyclotron Heating and Current Drive (EC H&CD) system is to be installed for ITER. The main objectives are to provide, start-up assist, central H&CD and control of MHD activity. These are achieved by a combination of two types of launchers, one located in an equatorial port and the second type in four upper ports. The physics applications are partitioned between the two launchers, based on the deposition location and driven current profiles. The equatorial launcher (EL) will access from the plasma axis to mid radius with a relatively broad profile useful for central heating and current drive applications, while the upper launchers (ULs) will access roughly the outer half of the plasma radius with a very narrow peaked profile for the control of the Neoclassical Tearing Modes (NTM) and sawtooth oscillations. The EC power can be switched between launchers on a time scale as needed by the immediate physics requirements. A revision of all injection angles of all launchers is under consideration for increased EC physics capabilities while relaxing the engineering constraints of both the EL and ULs. A series of design reviews are being planned with the five parties (EU, IN, JA, RF, US) procuring the EC system, the EC community and ITER Organization (IO). The review meetings qualify the design and provide an environment for enhancing performances while reducing costs, simplifying interfaces, predicting technology upgrades and commercial availability. In parallel, the test programs for critical components are being supported by IO and performed by the Domestic Agencies (DAs) for minimizing risks. The wide participation of the DAs provides a broad representation from the EC community, with the aim of collecting all expertise in guiding the EC system optimization. Still a strong relationship between IO and the DA is essential for optimizing the design of the EC system and for the installation and commissioning of all ex-vessel components when several teams

This paper describes the cryogenic system of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Correction Coils (CC) test facility, which consists of a 500 W/4.5 K helium refrigerator, a 50 kA superconducting transformer cryostat (STC) and a background field magnet cryostat (BFMC). The 500 W/4.5 K helium refrigerator synchronously produces both the liquid helium (LHe) and supercritical helium (SHe). The background field magnet and the primary coil of the superconducting transformer (PCST) are cooled down by immersing into 4.2 K LHe. The secondary Cable-In-Conduit Conductor (CICC) coil of the superconducting transformer (SCST), superconducting joints and the testing sample of ITER CC are cooled down by forced-flow supercritical helium. During the commissioning experiment, all the superconducting coils were successfully translated into superconducting state. The background field magnet was fully cooled by immersing it into 4.2 K LHe and generated a maximal background magnetic field of 6.96 T; the temperature of transformer coils and current leads was reduced to 4.3 K; the inlet temperature of SHe loop was 5.6 K, which can meet the cooling requirements of CIC-Conductor and joint boxes. It is noted that a novel heat cut-off device for High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) binary current leads was introduced to reduce the heat losses of transformer cryostat.

Specific helix-helix interactions are fundamental in assembling the native state of proteins and in protein-protein interfaces. Coiledcoils afford a unique model system for elucidating principles of molecular recognition between {alpha} helices. The coiled-coil fold is specified by a characteristic seven amino acid repeat containing hydrophobic residues at the first (a) and fourth (d) positions. Nonpolar side chains spaced three and four residues apart are referred to as the 3-4 hydrophobic repeat. The presence of apolar amino acids at the e or g positions (corresponding to a 3-3-1 hydrophobic repeat) can provide new possibilities for close-packing of {alpha}-helices that includes examples such as the lac repressor tetramerization domain. Here we demonstrate that an unprecedented coiled-coil interface results from replacement of three charged residues at the e positions in the dimeric GCN4 leucine zipper by nonpolar valine side chains. Equilibrium circular dichroism and analytical ultracentrifugation studies indicate that the valine-containing mutant forms a discrete {alpha}-helical tetramer with a significantly higher stability than the parent leucine-zipper molecule. The 1.35 {angstrom} resolution crystal structure of the tetramer reveals a parallel four-stranded coiledcoil with a three-residue interhelical offset. The local packing geometry of the three hydrophobic positions in the tetramer conformation is completely different from that seen in classical tetrameric structures yet bears resemblance to that in three-stranded coiledcoils. These studies demonstrate that distinct van der Waals interactions beyond the a and d side chains can generate a diverse set of helix-helix interfaces and three-dimensional supercoil structures.

A major problem in the development of high field (> 100 MHz) large volume (> 6000 cm3) MR coils is the interaction of the coil with the subject as well as the radiation loss to the environment. To reduce subject perturbation of the coil resonance modes, a volume coil that uses an array of freely rotating resonant elements radially mounted between two concentric cylinders was designed for operation at 170 MHz. Substantial electromagnetic energy is stored in the resonant elements outside the sample region without compromising the efficiency of the overall coil. This stored energy reduces the effect of the subject on the circuit and maintains a high Q, facilitating the tuning and matching of the coil. The unloaded Q of the coil is 680; when loaded with a head, it was 129. The ratio of 5.3 of the unloaded to loaded Q supports the notion that the efficiency of the coil was maintained in comparison with previous designs. The power requirement and signal-to-noise performance are significantly improved. The coil is tuned by a mechanism that imparts the same degree of rotation on all of the elements simultaneously, varying their degree of mutual coupling and preserving the overall coil symmetry. A thin radiofrequency shield is an integral part of the coil to reduce the radiation effect, which is a significant loss mechanism at high fields. MR images were collected at 4T using this coil design with high sensitivity and B1 homogeneity. PMID:7997115

The ITER burning plasma and advanced operating regimes require robust and reliable heating and current drive and fueling systems. The ITER design documents describe the requirements and reference designs for the ion cyclotron and pellet fueling systems. Development and testing programs are required to optimize, validate and qualify these systems for installation on ITER.The ITER ion cyclotron system offers significant technology challenges. The antenna must operate in a nuclear environment and withstand heat loads and disruption forces beyond present-day designs. It must operate for long pulse lengths and be highly reliable, delivering power to a plasma load with properties that will change throughout the discharge. The ITER ion cyclotron system consists of one eight-strap antenna, eight rf sources (20 MW, 35-65 MHz), associated high-voltage DC power supplies, transmission lines and matching and decoupling components.The ITER fueling system consists of a gas injection system and multiple pellet injectors for edge fueling and deep core fueling. Pellet injection will be the primary ITER fuel delivery system. The fueling requirements will require significant extensions in pellet injector pulse length ({approx}3000 s), throughput (400 torr-L/s,) and reliability. The proposed design is based on a centrifuge accelerator fed by a continuous screw extruder. Inner wall pellet injection with the use of curved guide tubes will be utilized for deep fueling.

New replaceable carbon insert for deflection coil in electron-beam welder promises to decrease maintenance costs. Inserts made from materials other than carbon (not yet tried) are less expensive, thus reducing costs even further. With carbon insert, deflection coils last longer and are easier to maintain.

The Magnet Coil Shorted Turn Detector has been developed to facilitate the location of shorted turns in magnet coils. Finding these shorted turns is necessary to determine failure modes that are a necessary step in developing future production techniques. Up to this point, coils with shorted turns had the insulation burned off without the fault having been located. This disassembly process destroyed any chance of being able to find the fault. In order to maintain a flux balance in a coupled system such as a magnet coil, the current in a shorted turn must be opposed to the incident current. If the direction of the current in each conductor can be measured relative to the incident current, then the exact location of the short can be determined. In this device, an AC voltage is applied to the magnet under test. A small hand held B-dot pickup coil monitors the magnetic field produced by current in the individual magnet conductors. The relative phase of this pickup coil voltage is compared to a reference signal derived from the input current to detect a current reversal as the B-dot pickup coil is swept over the conductors of the coil under test. This technique however, is limited to only those conductors that are accessible to the hand held probe.

We describe a magnetic coil design utilizing concentrically wound electro-magnetic insulating (EMI) foil (25.4 μm Kapton backing and 127 μm thick layers). The magnetic coils are easily configurable for different coil sizes, while providing large surfaces for low-pressure (0.12 bar) water cooling. The coils have turn densities of ˜5 mm-1 and achieve a maximum of 377 G at 2.1 kW driving power, measured at a distance 37.9 mm from the axial center of the coil. The coils achieve a steady-state temperature increase of 36.7°C/kW.

The status of the ITER design is as presented in the Interim Design Report accepted by the ITER council for considerations by ITER parties. Physical and technical parameters of the machine, conditions of operation of main nuclear systems, corresponding design and material choices are described, with conventional materials selected. To fully utilize the safety and economical potential of fusion advanced materials are necessary. ITER shall and can be built with materials already available. The ITER project and advanced fusion material developments can proceed in parallel. The role of ITER is to establish (experimentally) requirements to these materials and to provide a test bed for their final qualification in fusion reactor environment. To achieve this goal, the first wall/blanket modules test program is foreseen.

With the availability of more than 100,000 entries stored in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) that can be used as search models, molecular replacement (MR) is currently the most popular method of solving crystal structures of macromolecules. Significant methodological efforts have been directed in recent years towards making this approach more powerful and practical. This resulted in the creation of several computer programs, highly automated and user friendly, that are able to successfully solve many structures even by researchers who, although interested in structures of biomolecules, are not very experienced in crystallography.

For the U.S. fabricated ITER Central Solenoid (CS), six, almost identical, modules will be fabricated, then stacked together. The electrical insulation systems of the CS modules consist of turn, layer, and ground insulation. These electrical systems also serve to bond the coil conductors together. For this purpose, an epoxy resin is transferred into the coil assembly using a carefully designed vacuum-pressure impregnation process. The most important testing procedures, data, and design criteria for the key low-temperature, mechanical, and electrical properties are reviewed. Design of these systems is discussed.

A magnet has been built by the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory for NASA on a cost reimbursement contract. The magnet is intended to demonstrate the technology and feasibility of building a magnet for space based crystal growth. A Bitter magnet (named after Francis Bitter, its inventor) was built consisting of four split coils electrically in series and hydraulically in parallel. The coils are housed in a steel vessel to reduce the fringe field and provide some on-axis field enhancement. The steel was nickel plated and Teflon coated to minimize interaction with the water cooling system. The magnet provides 0.14 T in a 184 mm bore with 3 kW of power.

For centuries coil building has been the primary method of making pottery the world over. Many classrooms still reflect this preference for symmetrical coil building. Describes coil building and what forms can be made from it. (Author/RK)

Proposed method of iterative optical image and data processing overcomes limitations imposed by loss of optical power after repeated passes through many optical elements - especially, beam splitters. Involves selective, timed combination of optical wavefront phase conjugation and amplification to regenerate images in real time to compensate for losses in optical iteration loops; timing such that amplification turned on to regenerate desired image, then turned off so as not to regenerate other, undesired images or spurious light propagating through loops from unwanted reflections.

Intermediate filaments (IFs) are the key components of cytoskeleton in eukaryotic cells and are critical for cell mechanics. The building block of IFs is a coiled-coil alpha-helical dimer, consisting of several domains that include linkers and other structural discontinuities. One of the discontinuities in the dimer's coiled-coil region is the so-called 'stutter' region. The stutter is a region where a variation of the amino acid sequence pattern from other parts of the alpha-helical domains of the protein is found. It was suggested in earlier works that due to this sequence variation, the perfect coiled-coil arrangement ceases to exist. Here, we show using explicit water molecular dynamics and well-tempered metadynamics that for the coil2 domain of vimentin IFs the stutter is more stable in a non-alpha-helical, unfolded state. This causes a local structural disturbance in the alpha helix, which has a global effect on the nanomechanics of the structure. Our analysis suggests that the stutter features an enhanced tendency to unfolding even under the absence of external forces, implying a much greater structural instability than previously assumed. As a result it features a smaller local bending stiffness than other segments and presents a seed for the initiation of molecular bending and unfolding at large deformation. PMID:21516532

The first MICE Coupling Coil has been tested in a conduction-cooled environment in the new Solenoid Test Facility at Fermilab. We present an overview of the power and quench protection scheme, and report on the electrical and quench performance results obtained during cold power tests of the magnet.

The use of a small, nonresonant, coil of micron dimensions as the microwave magnetic field structure of a broadband electron-spin-resonance (ESR) spectrometer is described. The coil is driven by a broadband microwave generator which operates between 0.1 and 8.5 GHz. The samples may fill the coil to approximately 100 percent. It is shown that for small size samples this system offers higher sensitivity than a conventional cavity spectrometer. Because the system is broadband, either frequency scans or the conventional magnetic field scans can be used to traverse the resonance. Examples for DPPH and for the spin glass AgMn using this method are reported. Since the sample coil is small, it has many potential applications, such as insertion into the mixing chamber of dilution refrigerator or high-pressure cell, efficient use of power in ENDOR and other double resonance experiments, and rapid recovery from transients in pulsed ESR experiments.

Parallel magnetic resonance imaging in k-space such as generalized auto-calibrating partially parallel acquisition exploits spatial correlation among neighboring signals over multiple coils in calibration to estimate missing signals in reconstruction. It is often challenging to achieve accurate calibration information due to data corruption with noises and spatially varying correlation. The purpose of this work is to address these problems simultaneously by developing a new, adaptive iterative generalized auto-calibrating partially parallel acquisition with dynamic self-calibration. With increasing iterations, under a framework of the Kalman filter spatial correlation is estimated dynamically updating calibration signals in a measurement model and using fixed-point state transition in a process model while missing signals outside the step-varying calibration region are reconstructed, leading to adaptive self-calibration and reconstruction. Noise statistic is incorporated in the Kalman filter models, yielding coil-weighted de-noising in reconstruction. Numerical and in vivo studies are performed, demonstrating that the proposed method yields highly accurate calibration and thus reduces artifacts and noises even at high acceleration. PMID:21994010

The ITER three dimensional diagnostic response to an n=3 resonant magnetic perturbation is modeled using the STELLOPT code. The in-vessel coils apply a resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) fi eld which generates a 4 cm edge displacement from axisymmetry as modeled by the VMEC 3D equilibrium code. Forward modeling of flux loop and magnetic probe response with the DIAGNO code indicates up to 20 % changes in measured plasma signals. Simulated LIDAR measurements of electron temperature indicate 2 cm shifts on the low field side of the plasma. This suggests that the ITER diagnostic will be able to diagnose the 3D structure of the equilibria.

An improvement in the design and fabrication of sensing coils of superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometers has been proposed to increase sensitivity. It has been estimated that, in some cases, it would be possible to increase sensitivity by about half or to reduce measurement time correspondingly. The pertinent aspects of the problems of design and fabrication can be summarized as follows: In general, to increase the sensitivity of a SQUID magnetometer, it is necessary to maximize the magnetic flux enclosed by the sensing coil while minimizing the self-inductance of this coil. It is often beneficial to fabricate the coil from a thicker wire to reduce its self-inductance. Moreover, to optimize the design of the coil with respect to sensitivity, it may be necessary to shape the wire to other than a commonly available circular or square cross-section. On the other hand, it is not practical to use thicker superconducting wire for the entire superconducting circuit, especially if the design of a specific device requires a persistent-current loop enclosing a remotely placed SQUID sensor. It may be possible to bond a thicker sensing-coil wire to thinner superconducting wires leading to a SQUID sensor, but it could be difficult to ensure reliable superconducting connections, especially if the bonded wires are made of different materials. The main idea is to mold the sensing coil in place, to more nearly optimum cross sectional shape, instead of making the coil by winding standard pre-fabricated wire. For this purpose, a thin superconducting wire loop that is an essential part of the SQUID magnetometer would be encapsulated in a form that would serve as a mold. A low-melting-temperature superconducting metal (e.g., indium, tin, or a lead/tin alloy) would be melted into the form, which would be sized and shaped to impart the required cross section to the coil thus formed.

AztecOO contains a collection of preconditioned iterative methods for the solution of sparse linear systems of equations. In addition to providing many of the common algebraic preconditioners and basic iterative methods, AztecOO can be easily extended to interact with user-provided preconditioners and matrix operators.

The main purpose of this note is to present and justify proof via iteration as an intuitive, creative and empowering method that is often available and preferable as an alternative to proofs via either mathematical induction or the well-ordering principle. The method of iteration depends only on the fact that any strictly decreasing sequence of…

A classic demonstration of fluid buckling is a daily occurence at the breakfast table, where a continuous stream of viscous fluid (honey) is often poured onto a flat surface (toast) from a sufficient height. The thin fluid filament quickly settles into a steady state; near the surface it bends into a helical shape while simultaneously rotating about the vertical and is laid out in a regular coil. This behavior is reminiscent of the coiling of a falling flexible rope. We derive a simple scaling law that predicts the coiling frequency in terms of the filament radius and the flow rate. We also verify this scaling law with the results of experiments.

a method for manufacturing a magnet cable trim coil in a sheath assembly for use in a cryogenic particle accelerator. A precisely positioned pattern of trim coil turns is bonded to a flexible substrate sheath that is capable of withstanding cryogenic operating conditions. In the method of the invention the flexible sheath, with the trim coil pattern precisely positioned thereon, is accurately positioned at a precise location relative to a bore tube assembly of an accelerator and is then bonded to the bore tube with a tape suitable for cryogenic application. The resultant assembly can be readily handled and installed within an iron magnet yoke assembly of a suitable cryogenic particle accelerator.

A method for manufacturing a magnetic cable trim coil in a sheath assembly for use in a cryogenic particle accelerator. A precisely positioned pattern of trim coil turns is bonded to a flexible substrate sheath that is capable of withstanding cryogenic operating conditions. In the method of the invention the flexible substrate sheath, with the trim coil pattern precisely location relative to a bore tube assembly of an accelerator and is then bonded to the bore tube with a tape suitable for cryogenic application. The resultant assembly can be readily handled and installed within an iron magnet yoke assembly of a suitable cryogenic particle accelerator. 1 fig.

ASTROMAG is a planned particle astrophysics magnetic facility. Basically it is a large magnetic spectrometer outside the Earth's atmosphere for an extended period of time in orbit on a space station. A definition team summarized its scientific objectives assumably related to fundamental questions of astrophysics, cosmology, and elementary particle physics. Since magnetic induction of about 7 Tesla is desired, it is planned to be a superconducting magnet cooled to liquid helium 2 temperatures. The general structure of ASTROMAG is based on: (1) two superconducting magnetic coils, (2) dewar of liquid helium 2 to provide cooling capability for the magnets; (3) instrumentation, matter-anti matter spectrometer (MAS) and cosmic ray isotope spectrometer (CRIS); and (4) interfaces to the shuttle and space station. Many configurations of the superconducting magnets and the dewar were proposed and evaluated, since those are the heart of the ASTROMAG. Baseline of the magnet configuration and cryostat as presented in the phase A study and the one kept in mind while doing the present study are presented. ASTROMAG's development schedule reflects the plan of launching to the space station in 1995.

Summary Binding of the growth factor TGF-α to the EGFR extracellular domain is encoded through the formation of a unique anti-parallel coiledcoil within the juxtamembrane segment. This new coiledcoil is an ‘inside-out’ version of the coiledcoil formed in the presence of EGF. A third, intermediary coiledcoil interface is formed in the juxtamembrane segment when EGFR is stimulated with betacellulin. The seven growth factors that activate EGFR in mammalian systems (EGF, TGF-α, epigen, epiregulin, betacellulin, heparin-binding EGF, and amphiregulin) fall into distinct categories in which the structure of the coiledcoil induced within the juxtamembrane segment correlates with cell state. The observation that coiledcoil state tracks with the downstream signaling profiles for each ligand provides evidence for growth factor functional selectivity by EGFR. Encoding growth factor identity in alternative coiledcoil rotamers provides a simple and elegant method for communicating chemical information across the plasma membrane. PMID:26091170

Interactions between polypeptide chains containing amino acid residues with opposite absolute configurations have long been a source of interest and speculation, but there is very little structural information for such heterochiral associations. The need to address this lacuna has grown in recent years because of increasing interest in the use of peptides generated from d amino acids (d peptides) as specific ligands for natural proteins, e.g., to inhibit deleterious protein–protein interactions. Coiled–coil interactions, between or among α-helices, represent the most common tertiary and quaternary packing motif in proteins. Heterochiral coiled–coil interactions were predicted over 50 years ago by Crick, and limited experimental data obtained in solution suggest that such interactions can indeed occur. To address the dearth of atomic-level structural characterization of heterochiral helix pairings, we report two independent crystal structures that elucidate coiled-coil packing between l- and d-peptide helices. Both structures resulted from racemic crystallization of a peptide corresponding to the transmembrane segment of the influenza M2 protein. Networks of canonical knobs-into-holes side-chain packing interactions are observed at each helical interface. However, the underlying patterns for these heterochiral coiledcoils seem to deviate from the heptad sequence repeat that is characteristic of most homochiral analogs, with an apparent preference for a hendecad repeat pattern. PMID:26460035

Device is constructed of bimetallic stock material formed into segments of small diameters and fastened together by metal strips. Coil is useful in various types of actuators, such as temperature controls.

Three 1 MV/40A accelerators in heating neutral beams (HNB) are on track to be implemented in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). ITER may produce 500 MWt of power by 2026 and may serve as a green energy roadmap for the world. They will generate -1 MV 1 h long-pulse ion beams to be neutralised for plasma heating. Due to frequently occurring vacuum sparking in the accelerators, the snubbers are used to limit the fault arc current to improve ITER safety. However, recent analyses of its reference design have raised concerns. General nonlinear transformer theory is developed for the snubber to unify the former snubbers' different design models with a clear mechanism. Satisfactory agreement between theory and tests indicates that scaling up to a 1 MV voltage may be possible. These results confirm the nonlinear process behind transformer theory and map out a reliable snubber design for a safer ITER. PMID:24008267

We present a combined experimental and numerical investigation of the coiling of a liquid “rope” falling on a solid surface, focusing on three little-explored aspects of the phenomenon: The time dependence of “inertio-gravitational” coiling, the systematic dependence of the radii of the coil and the rope on the experimental parameters, and the “secondary buckling” of the columnar structure generated by high-frequency coiling. Inertio-gravitational coiling is characterized by oscillations between states with different frequencies, and we present experimental observations of four distinct branches of such states in the frequency-fall height space. The transitions between coexisting states have no characteristic period, may take place with or without a change in the sense of rotation, and usually (but not always) occur via an intermediate “figure of eight” state. We present extensive laboratory measurements of the radii of the coil and of the rope within it, and show that they agree well with the predictions of a “slender-rope” numerical model. Finally, we use dimensional analysis to reveal a systematic variation of the critical column height for secondary buckling as a function of (dimensionless) flow rate and surface tension parameters.

Standard nylon screws act as coil form copper wire laid down in spiral thread. Completed coil may be bonded to printed-circuit board. However, it is impossible to tune coil by adjusting spacing between windings, technique sometimes used with air-core coils.

eat transfer coefficient. In most cases, the EER was reduced with fouling primarily due to increased fan power. However, the changes in EER were relatively small, in the range of 1%-9% (10%). For most cases, equipment having low efficiency filters had higher EER after fouling than equipment with high efficiency filters, because the high efficiency filter caused significantly higher pressure drops than the low efficiency filters. The extra filter pressure drop outweighed the reduced coil pressure drop after fouling. The impact of fan efficiency curves was also investigated in the study. The energy penalty associated with high efficiency filters was reduced considerably with higher efficiency fans. There is an energy penalty associated with the use of high efficiency filtration. However, the primary reason for selecting high efficiency filters for a particular application would be improved air quality. For HX8L, the quantity of dust passing through the coil with a MERV4 filter was approximately 30 times the dust passing the coil with a MERV14 filter. Without an upstream filter, the quantity of dust passing through the coil was approximately 60 times the value for a MERV14 filter.

The development of the ITER Plasma Control System (PCS) continues with the preliminary design phase for 1st plasma and early plasma operation in H/He up to Ip = 15 MA in L-mode. The design is being developed through a contract between the ITER Organization and a consortium of plasma control experts from EU and US fusion laboratories, which is expected to be completed in time for a design review at the end of 2016. This design phase concentrates on breakdown including early ECH power and magnetic control of the poloidal field null, plasma current, shape, and position. Basic kinetic control of the heating (ECH, ICH, NBI) and fueling systems is also included. Disruption prediction, mitigation, and maintaining stable operation are also included because of the high magnetic and kinetic stored energy present already for early plasma operation. Support functions for error field topology and equilibrium reconstruction are also required. All of the control functions also must be integrated into an architecture that will be capable of the required complexity of all ITER scenarios. A database is also being developed to collect and manage PCS functional requirements from operational scenarios that were defined in the Conceptual Design with links to proposed event handling strategies and control algorithms for initial basic control functions. A brief status of the PCS development will be presented together with a proposed schedule for design phases up to DT operation.

The superconducting coupling coil to be used in the Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) with inner radius of 750 mm, length of 285 mm and thickness of 110.4 mm will be cooled by a pair of 1.5 W at 4.2 K cryo-coolers. When the coupling coil is powered to 210 A, it will produce about 7.3 T peak magnetic field at the conductor and it will have a stored energy of 13 MJ. A key issue for safe operation of the coupling coil is the thermal stability of the coil during a charge and discharge. The magnet and its cooling system are designed for a rapid discharge where the magnet is to be discharged in 5400 seconds. The numerical simulation for the thermal stability of the MICE coupling coil has been done using ANSYS. The analysis results show that the superconducting coupling coil has a good stability and can be charged and discharged safely.

Migration of coils during endovascular procedures is a rare, but well-known complication. We are reporting two cases of successfully retrieving migrated coil using detachable intracranial stent. In both of our cases there was distal migration of coil during the intracranial aneurysm coiling procedure. The Solitaire® AB stent (Covidien, Irvine, CA, USA) was used to retrieve those coils. The stent was passed distal to the migrated coil using standard technique. It was then partially deployed and gradually withdrawn along with the entangled coil. Coil retrieval using the fully retrievable intracranial stent is a very simple, safe and easily available alternative for retrieval of distally migrated coil. PMID:27114967

The Iterator Perl Module provides a general-purpose framework for constructing iterator objects within Perl, and a standard API for interacting with those objects. Iterators are an object-oriented design pattern where a description of a series of values is used in a constructor. Subsequent queries can request values in that series. These Perl modules build on the standard Iterator framework and provide iterators for some other types of values. Iterator::DateTime constructs iterators from DateTime objects or Date::Parse descriptions and ICal/RFC 2445 style re-currence descriptions. It supports a variety of input parameters, including a start to the sequence, an end to the sequence, an Ical/RFC 2445 recurrence describing the frequency of the values in the series, and a format description that can refine the presentation manner of the DateTime. Iterator::String constructs iterators from string representations. This module is useful in contexts where the API consists of supplying a string and getting back an iterator where the specific iteration desired is opaque to the caller. It is of particular value to the Iterator::Hash module which provides nested iterations. Iterator::Hash constructs iterators from Perl hashes that can include multiple iterators. The constructed iterators will return all the permutations of the iterations of the hash by nested iteration of embedded iterators. A hash simply includes a set of keys mapped to values. It is a very common data structure used throughout Perl programming. The Iterator:: Hash module allows a hash to include strings defining iterators (parsed and dispatched with Iterator::String) that are used to construct an overall series of hash values.

Four coils have been built and installed in the JET vacuum vessel to produce divertor plasmas. The coils are copper with glass epoxy insulation and are enclosed in vacuum tight Inconel cases. At the coil contractor's factory, the coil parts were manufactured and process techniques qualified. In the JET vacuum vessel the conductor bars were brazed to form the coils, which were inserted in the casings and impregnated and cured with epoxy resin.

Bernard Bigot, chair of France’s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), has been chosen as the next director-general of ITER - the experimental fusion reactor currently being built in Cadarache, France.

The intrinsic limited toroidal electric field (0.3 V m-1) in devices with superconducting poloidal coils (ITER, JT-60SA) requires additional heating, like electron cyclotron (EC) waves, to initiate plasma and to sustain it during the burn-through phase. The FTU tokamak has contributed to studying the perspective of EC assisted plasma breakdown. Afterward, a new experimental and modeling activity addressing the study of assisted plasma start-up in a configuration close to the ITER one (magnetic field, oblique injection, and polarization) has been performed and is presented here. These experiments have been supported by a 0D code, BKD0, developed to model the plasma start-up and linked to a beam tracing code computing, in a consistent way, EC absorption. The FTU results demonstrate the role of polarization conversion at the inner wall reflection. Dedicated experiments also showed the capability of EC power to sustain plasma start-up in the presence of strong error field (12 mT), with a null outside the vacuum vessel. The BKD0 code, applied to FTU data, has been used to determine the operational window of sustained breakdown as a function of toroidal electric field and neutral pressure. Experimental results in agreement with the BKD0 simulations support the use of the code to predict start-up in future tokamaks, like ITER and JT60SA.

The ITER Central Solenoid (CS) is comprised of six independent coils held together by a pre-compression support structure. This structure must provide enough preload to maintain sufficient coil-to-coil contact throughout the current pulse. End of burn (EOB) represents one extreme time-point when the currents in the CS3 coils oppose those of CS1 & CS2. The present baseline design uses nine tie plate pairs located on the coil ID and OD to achieve this pre-compression. While this is an efficient structural approach, the outer tie plates limit access to the coil OD and result in very tight tolerances over the 12.75 m tall toroidal field (TF) coil bore. An alternative pre-compression structure has been developed by the US ITER Project Office, which addresses both of these issues using only internal tension members. This allows clear access to the outer CS surface for plumbing and current feeders, and more reasonable OD tolerances. In addition, the Tension Rod pre-compression structure utilizes existing technology (such as hydraulic tensioner or Superbolt{reg_sign}), which streamlines initial preloading and subsequent adjustments. Structural and transient electromagnetic FEA of the tension rod concept demonstrates that the stresses, displacements, and preliminary Eddy current heat loads are within allowable limits. Fabrication estimates demonstrate no additional cost of the tension rods compared to the tie plates.

Proposed International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) convertible blankets were reviewed. Key design difficulties were identified. A new particle filter concept is introduced and key performance parameters estimated. Results show that this particle filter concept can satisfy all of the convertible blanket design requirements except the generic issue of Be blanket lifetime. If the convertible blanket is an acceptable approach for ITER operation, this particle filter option should be a strong candidate.

A coiled tubular electric battery is a conductor through its electrolyte and it may coincide with an electromagnet and a wire coil. The electromagnet is powered by the battery and caused to pulsate whereby its fluctuating magnet is equivalent to relative motion between the coils and the magnet. Current is increased by ampere turns in the wire induction coil while voltage is increased by series connection of the battery cells.

The ITER machine will require approximately 275 tons of Nb-Ti strands that will be used in poloidal field (PF) coils, correction coils (CC) and feeder busbars. The performance of all these conductors for the ITER machine is qualified by a short full-size sample (4 m) current sharing temperature (T cs) test in the SULTAN facility at CRPP in Villigen, Switzerland, at the design operating current and peak field. Three ITER domestic agencies participated in PF conductor fabrication (China, the European Union, Russia) while the conductors for feeder busbars and correction coils are entirely produced by the Chinese domestic agency. Each conductor type was qualified by the ITER International Organization after reaching T cs values in excess of ITER specifications. This qualification enabled the launch of procurement and industrial production of the Nb-Ti cable-in-conduit conductors in each domestic agency. In this paper, we summarize the performance of the qualified Nb-Ti samples of the ITER Project, comparing strand performance with conductor performance. The details of the test results will be discussed in terms of dc performance, ac losses and minimum quench energies of each conductor type.

We have carried out a detailed analysis of tropomyosin structure using lysines as specific probes for the protein surface in regions of the molecule that have not been investigated by other methods. We have measured the relative reactivities of lysines in rabbit skeletal muscle alpha, alpha-tropomyosin with acetic anhydride using a competitive labeling procedure. We have identified 37 of 39 lysines and find that they range 20-fold in reactivity. The observed reactivities are related to the coiled-coil model of the tropomyosin molecule [Crick, F.H.C. (1953) Acta Crystallogr. 6, 689-697; McLachlan, A.D., Stewart, M., & Smillie, L.B. (1975) J. Mol. Biol. 98, 281-291] and other available chemical and physical information about the structure. In most cases, the observed lysine reactivities can be explained by allowable interactions with neighboring amino acid side chains on the same or facing alpha-helix. However, we found no correlation between reactivity and helical position of a given lysine. For example, lysines in the outer helical positions included lysines of low as well as high reactivity, indicating that they vary widely in their accessibility to solvent and that the coiledcoil is heterogeneous along its length. Furthermore, the middle of the molecule (residues 126-182) that is susceptible to proteolysis and known to be the least stable region of the protein also contains some of the least and most reactive lysines. We have discussed the implications of our results on our understanding the structures of tropomyosin and other coiled-coil proteins as well as globular proteins containing helical regions. PMID:3927977

Collagen triple helices fold slowly and inefficiently, often requiring adjacent globular domains to assist this process. In the Streptococcus pyogenes collagen-like protein Scl2, a V domain predicted to be largely α-helical, occurs N-terminal to the collagen triple helix (CL). Here, we replace this natural trimerization domain with a de novo designed, hyperstable, parallel, three-stranded, α-helical coiledcoil (CC), either at the N terminus (CC-CL) or the C terminus (CL-CC) of the collagen domain. CD spectra of the constructs are consistent with additivity of independently and fully folded CC and CL domains, and the proteins retain their distinctive thermal stabilities, CL at ∼37 °C and CC at >90 °C. Heating the hybrid proteins to 50 °C unfolds CL, leaving CC intact, and upon cooling, the rate of CL refolding is somewhat faster for CL-CC than for CC-CL. A construct with coiledcoils on both ends, CC-CL-CC, retains the ∼37 °C thermal stability for CL but shows less triple helix at low temperature and less denaturation at 50 °C. Most strikingly however, in CC-CL-CC, the CL refolds slower than in either CC-CL or CL-CC by almost two orders of magnitude. We propose that a single CC promotes folding of the CL domain via nucleation and in-register growth from one end, whereas initiation and growth from both ends in CC-CL-CC results in mismatched registers that frustrate folding. Bioinformatics analysis of natural collagens lends support to this because, where present, there is generally only one coiled-coil domain close to the triple helix, and it is nearly always N-terminal to the collagen repeat. PMID:21454493

The necessity of achieving a prescribed wall load or fusion power essentially determines the plasma pressure in a device like ITER. The range of operation densities and temperatures compatible with this condition is constrained by the problems of power exhaust and the disruptive density limit. The maximum allowable heat loads on the divertor plates and the maximum allowable sheath edge temperature practically impose a lower limit on the operating densities, whereas the disruptive density limit imposes an upper limit. For most of the density limit scalings proposed in the past an overlap of the two constraints or at best a very narrow accessible density range is predicted for ITER. Improved understanding of the underlying mechanisms is therefore a crucial issue in order to provide a more reliable basis for extrapolation to ITER and to identify possible ways of alleviating the problem.

ABSTRACT The United States Navy has a continued interest in the development of High Temperature Superconductivity (HTS) to provide power dense, efficient propulsion and electrical power generation. These machines have large HTS rotor coils that will undergo many thermal cycles during the life of the ship. Thermal fatigue tests for large coils are necessary to understand any degradation and life issues that could arise. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division (NSWCCD) has sponsored Rowan University to design and build a device that will assist in the thermal fatigue testing of a superconducting coil. It was designed to be autonomous with programmable cool down and warm-up rates and varying temperature from ambient temperature (300K) down to 77K. A typical test would include thermally cycling a coil a specified number of times, then performing a critical current test on the coil and repeating the test cycle as many times as desired. This paper introduces the thermal cycling test setup and presents preliminary calibration data.

In high-field magnetic resonance imaging, the radio frequency wavelength within the human body is comparable to anatomical dimensions, resulting in B1 inhomogeneity and nonuniform sensitivity patterns. Thus, this relatively short wavelength presents engineering challenges for RF coil design. In this study, a bilateral breast coil for 1H imaging at 7 T was designed and constructed using forced-current excitation. By forcing equal current through the coil elements, we reduce the effects of coupling between the elements to simplify tuning and to ensure a uniform field across both breasts. To combine the benefits of the higher power efficiency of a unilateral coil with the bilateral coverage of a bilateral coil, a switching circuit was implemented to allow the coil to be reconfigured for imaging the left, right, or both breasts. PMID:25706501

In high-field magnetic resonance imaging, the radio frequency wavelength within the human body is comparable to anatomical dimensions, resulting in B1 inhomogeneity and nonuniform sensitivity patterns. Thus, this relatively short wavelength presents engineering challenges for RF coil design. In this study, a bilateral breast coil for (1)H imaging at 7 T was designed and constructed using forced-current excitation. By forcing equal current through the coil elements, we reduce the effects of coupling between the elements to simplify tuning and to ensure a uniform field across both breasts. To combine the benefits of the higher power efficiency of a unilateral coil with the bilateral coverage of a bilateral coil, a switching circuit was implemented to allow the coil to be reconfigured for imaging the left, right, or both breasts. PMID:25706501

The lack of axisymmetry in stellarators guarantees that in general magnetic islands and chaotic magnetic field lines will exist. As particle transport is strongly tied to the magnetic field lines, magnetic islands and chaotic field lines result in poor plasma confinement. For stellarators to be feasible candidates for fusion power stations it is essential that, to a good approximation, the magnetic field lines lie on nested flux-surfaces, and the suppression of magnetic islands is a critical issue for stellarator coil design, particularly for small aspect ratio devices. A procedure for modifying stellarator coil designs to eliminate magnetic islands in free-boundary full-pressure magnetohydrodynamic equilibria is presented. Islands may be removed from coil-plasma free-boundary equilibria by making small changes to the coil geometry and also by variation of trim coil currents. A plasma and coil design relevant to the National Compact Stellarator Experiment is used to illustrate the technique.

Iterations to the cross section of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) D0 Insertion Dipole magnets were made during the production. This was included as part of the production plan because no R&D or pre-production magnets were built prior to the start of production. The first magnet produced had the desired coil pre-stress and low field harmonics in the body of the magnet and is therefore being used in the RHIC Machine. On the first eight magnets, iterations were carried out to minimize the iron saturation and to compensate for the end harmonics. This paper will discuss the details of the iterations made, the obstacles encountered, and the results obtained. Also included will be a brief summary of the magnet design and performance.

ITER plasma control design solutions and performance requirements are strongly driven by its nuclear mission, aggressive commissioning constraints, and limited number of operational discharges. In addition, high plasma energy content, heat fluxes, neutron fluxes, and very long pulse operation place novel demands on control performance in many areas ranging from plasma boundary and divertor regulation to plasma kinetics and stability control. Both commissioning and experimental operations schedules provide limited time for tuning of control algorithms relative to operating devices. Although many aspects of the control solutions required by ITER have been well-demonstrated in present devices and even designed satisfactorily for ITER application, many elements unique to ITER including various crucial integration issues are presently under development. We describe selected novel aspects of plasma control in ITER, identifying unique parts of the control problem and highlighting some key areas of research remaining. Novel control areas described include control physics understanding (e.g., current profile regulation, tearing mode (TM) suppression), control mathematics (e.g., algorithmic and simulation approaches to high confidence robust performance), and integration solutions (e.g., methods for management of highly subscribed control resources). We identify unique aspects of the ITER TM suppression scheme, which will pulse gyrotrons to drive current within a magnetic island, and turn the drive off following suppression in order to minimize use of auxiliary power and maximize fusion gain. The potential role of active current profile control and approaches to design in ITER are discussed. Issues and approaches to fault handling algorithms are described, along with novel aspects of actuator sharing in ITER.

ITER plasma control design solutions and performance requirements are strongly driven by its nuclear mission, aggressive commissioning constraints, and limited number of operational discharges. In addition, high plasma energy content, heat fluxes, neutron fluxes, and very long pulse operation place novel demands on control performance in many areas ranging from plasma boundary and divertor regulation to plasma kinetics and stability control. Both commissioning and experimental operations schedules provide limited time for tuning of control algorithms relative to operating devices. Although many aspects of the control solutions required by ITER have been well-demonstrated in present devices and even designed satisfactorily for ITER application, many elements unique to ITER including various crucial integration issues are presently under development. We describe selected novel aspects of plasma control in ITER, identifying unique parts of the control problem and highlighting some key areas of research remaining. Novel control areas described include control physics understanding (e.g., current profile regulation, tearing mode (TM) suppression), control mathematics (e.g., algorithmic and simulation approaches to high confidence robust performance), and integration solutions (e.g., methods for management of highly subscribed control resources). We identify unique aspects of the ITER TM suppression scheme, which will pulse gyrotrons to drive current within a magnetic island, and turn the drive off following suppression in order to minimize use of auxiliary power and maximize fusion gain. The potential role of active current profile control and approaches to design in ITER are discussed. Issues and approaches to fault handling algorithms are described, along with novel aspects of actuator sharing in ITER.

It has been reported that low collisionality pedestals for JET parameters are strongly stable to Kinetic Ballooning Modes (KBM), and it is, as simulations with GENE show, the drift-tearing modes that produce the pedestal transport. It would seem, then, that gyrokinetic simulations may be a powerful, perhaps, indispensable tool for probing the characteristics of the H-mode pedestal in ITER especially since projected ITER pedestals have the normalized gyroradius ρ* smaller than the range of present experimental investigation; they do lie, however, within the regime of validity of gyrokinetics. Since ExB shear becomes small as ρ* approaches zero, strong drift turbulence will eventually be excited. Finding an answer to the question whether the ITER ρ* is small enough to place it in the high turbulence regime compels serious investigation. We begin with MHD equilibria (including pedestal bootstrap current) constructed using VMEC. Plasma profile shapes, very close to JET experimental profiles, are scaled to values expected on ITER (e.g., a 4 keV pedestal). The equilibrium ExB shear is computed using a neoclassical formula for the radial electric field. As with JET, the ITER pedestal is found to be strongly stable to KBM. Preliminary nonlinear simulations with GENE show that the turbulent drift transport is strong for ITER; the electrostatic transport has a highly unfavorable scaling from JET to ITER, going from being highly sub-dominant to electromagnetic transport on JET, to dominant on ITER. At burning plasma parameters, pedestals in spherical tokamak H-modes may have much stronger velocity shear, and hence more favorable transport; preliminary investigations will be reported. This research supported by U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Fusion Energy Science: Grant No. DE-FG02-04ER-54742.

Magnet coils may be excited into internal voltage oscillations by transient voltages. Such oscillations may electrically stress the magnet's dielectric components to many times its normal stress. This may precipitate a dielectric failure, and the attendant prolonged loss of service and costly repair work. Therefore, it is important to know the natural frequencies of oscillations of a magnet during the design stage, and to determine whether the expected switching transient voltages can excite the magnet into high-voltage internal oscillations. The series capacitance of a winding significantly affects its natural frequencies. However, the series capacitance is difficult to calculate, because it may comprise complex capacitance network, consisting of intra- and inter-coil turn-to-turn capacitances of the coil sections. A method of calculating the series capacitance of a winding is proposed. This method is rigorous but simple to execute. The time-varying transient voltages along the winding are also calculated.

Vertical stability and control are examined for a tokamak configuration intended to be a generic representation of next step devices. Vertical stability calculations show that a critical resistive wall location can be determined for realistic structures, and that the introduction of small amounts of low resistivity material to an all steel structure can significantly reduce the vertical instability growth rate. Vertical control simulations show that internal control coils require significantly less feedback power than external coils, and that low resistivity materials can allow very low feedback powers or coils to be located externally with reasonable feedback powers.

The GemC1 coiled-coil structure has subtle differences compared with its homologues Geminin and Idas. Co-expression experiments in cells and biophysical stability analysis of the Geminin-family coiledcoils suggest that the GemC1 coiledcoil alone is unstable. GemC1, together with Idas and Geminin, an important regulator of DNA-replication licensing and differentiation decisions, constitute a superfamily sharing a homologous central coiled-coil domain. To better understand this family of proteins, the crystal structure of a GemC1 coiled-coil domain variant engineered for better solubility was determined to 2.2 Å resolution. GemC1 shows a less typical coiledcoil compared with the Geminin homodimer and the Geminin–Idas heterodimer structures. It is also shown that both in vitro and in cells GemC1 interacts with Geminin through its coiled-coil domain, forming a heterodimer that is more stable that the GemC1 homodimer. Comparative analysis of the thermal stability of all of the possible superfamily complexes, using circular dichroism to follow the unfolding of the entire helix of the coiledcoil, or intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence of a unique conserved N-terminal tryptophan, shows that the unfolding of the coiledcoil is likely to take place from the C-terminus towards the N-terminus. It is also shown that homodimers show a single-state unfolding, while heterodimers show a two-state unfolding, suggesting that the dimer first falls apart and the helices then unfold according to the stability of each protein. The findings argue that Geminin-family members form homodimers and heterodimers between them, and this ability is likely to be important for modulating their function in cycling and differentiating cells.

Proposed electromagnetic gun includes electromagnet coil, turns of which commutated in sequence along barrel. Electrical current fed to two armatures by brushes sliding on bus bars in barrel. Interaction between armature currents and magnetic field from coil produces force accelerating armature, which in turn, pushes on projectile. Commutation scheme chosen so magnetic field approximately coincides and moves with cylindrical region defined by armatures. Scheme has disadvantage of complexity, but in return, enables designer to increase driving magnetic field without increasing armature current. Attainable muzzle velocity increased substantially.

Concepts for fitting and installation of the scissor keys, triangular keys, and truss keys in the ITER Toroidal Field (TF) Coil Assembly were developed and evaluated. In addition, the process of remote removal and replacement of a failed TF coil was considered. Two concepts were addressed: central solenoid installed last (Naka Option 1) and central solenoid installed first (Naka Option 2). In addition, a third concept was developed which utilized the favorable features of both concepts. A time line for installation was estimated for the Naka Option 1 concept.

Regulation of the fusion power through modulation of fueling, external heating sources and non-axisymmetric magnetic fields, referred to as burn control, is one of the fundamental problems in burning plasma research. Active control will be essential for achieving and maintaining desired operating points, responding to changing power demands, and ensuring stable operation in ITER. A volume-averaged nonlinear model for the evolutions of the density of energy, deuterium and tritium fuel ions, alpha-particles, and impurity ions has been used to synthesize a multi-variable nonlinear burn control strategy that can reject large perturbations and move between operating points. The control approach makes use of the different possible actuators for altering the fusion power, including auxiliary heating sources, isotopic fueling, in-vessel coils, and impurity injection. Adaptive control techniques are used to account for uncertainty in model parameters, including particle confinement times and recycling rates. Furthermore, a model-based constrained optimization scheme is proposed to drive the system as close as possible to desired fusion power and temperature references. Supported by the US DOE under DE-SC0010661.

Abstract Benchmarking of full-wave solvers for ICRF simulations is performed using plasma profiles and equilibria obtained from integrated self-consistent modeling predictions of four ITER plasmas. One is for a high performance baseline (5.3 T, 15 MA) DT H-mode plasma. The others are for half-field, half-current plasmas of interest for the pre-activation phase with bulk plasma ion species being either hydrogen or He4. The predicted profiles are used by seven groups to predict the ICRF electromagnetic fields and heating profiles. Approximate agreement is achieved for the predicted heating power partitions for the DT and He4 cases. Profiles of the heating powers and electromagnetic fields are compared.

This paper presents the results of initial field quality optimization of body and end harmonics in a 'common coil magnet design'. It is shown that a good field quality, as required in accelerator magnets, can be obtained by distributing conductor blocks in such a way that they simulate an elliptical coil geometry. This strategy assures that the amount of conductor used in this block design is similar to that is used in a conventional cosine theta design. An optimized yoke that keeps all harmonics small over the entire range of operation using a single power supply is also presented. The field harmonics are primarily optimized with the computer program ROXIE.

In spite of the tremendous progress achieved in recent years in the general area of iterative solution techniques, there are still a few obstacles to the acceptance of iterative methods in a number of applications. These applications give rise to very indefinite or highly ill-conditioned non Hermitian matrices. Trying to solve these systems with the simple-minded standard preconditioned Krylov subspace methods can be a frustrating experience. With the mathematical and physical models becoming more sophisticated, the typical linear systems which we encounter today are far more difficult to solve than those of just a few years ago. This trend is likely to accentuate. This workshop will discuss (1) these applications and the types of problems that they give rise to; and (2) recent progress in solving these problems with iterative methods. The workshop will end with a hopefully stimulating panel discussion with the speakers.

Experimental research on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) will go far beyond what is possible on present-day tokamaks to address new and challenging issues in the physics of reactor-like plasmas. First and foremost, experiments in ITER will explore the physics issues of burning plasmas--plasmas that are dominantly self-heated by alpha-particles created by the fusion reactions themselves. Such issues will include (i) new plasma-physical effects introduced by the presence within the plasma of an intense population of energetic alpha particles; (ii) the physics of magnetic confinement for a burning plasma, which will involve a complex interplay of transport, stability and an internal self-generated heat source; and (iii) the physics of very-long-pulse/steady-state burning plasmas, in which much of the plasma current is also self-generated and which will require effective control of plasma purity and plasma-wall interactions. Achieving and sustaining burning plasma regimes in a tokamak necessarily requires plasmas that are larger than those in present experiments and have higher energy content and power flow, as well as much longer pulse length. Accordingly, the experimental program on ITER will embrace the study of issues of plasma physics and plasma-materials interactions that are specific to a reactor-scale fusion experiment. Such issues will include (i) confinement physics for a tokamak in which, for the first time, the core-plasma and the edge-plasma are simultaneously in a reactor-like regime; (ii) phenomena arising during plasma transients, including so-called disruptions, in regimes of high plasma current and thermal energy; and (iii) physics of a radiative divertor designed for handling high power flow for long pulses, including novel plasma and atomic-physics effects as well as materials science of surfaces subject to intense plasma interaction. Experiments on ITER will be conducted by researchers in control rooms situated at major

The PF-FSJS is a full-size joint sample, based on the NbTi dual-channel cable-in-conduit conductor (CICC) design currently foreseen for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Poloidal Field coil system. It was tested during the summer of 2002 in the Sultan facility of CRPP at a background peak magnetic field of typically 6 T. It includes about 3 m of two jointed conductor sections, using different strands but with identical layout. The sample was cooled by supercritical helium at nominal 4.5-5.0 K and 0.9-1.0 MPa, in forced convection from the top to the bottom of the vertical configuration. A pulsed coil was used to test AC losses in the two legs resulting, above a certain input power threshold, in bundle helium backflow from the heated region. Here we study the thermal-hydraulics of the phenomenon with the M and M code, with particular emphasis on the effects of buoyancy on the helium dynamics, as well as on the thermal-hydraulic coupling between the wrapped bundles of strands in the annular cable region and the central cooling channel. Both issues are ITER relevant, as they affect the more general question of the heat removal capability of the helium in this type of conductors.

We report two cases of delayed coil protrusion after coil embolization for ruptured cerebral aneurysms. Case 1:An 82-year-old woman with a subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a ruptured small anterior communicating artery aneurysm underwent successful coil embolization. Eighteen days after the procedure, coil protrusion from the aneurysm into the right anterior cerebral artery was observed without any symptoms. Further coil protrusion did not develop after 28 days. Case 2:A 78-year-old woman with a subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a ruptured small left middle cerebral artery aneurysm underwent successful coil embolization. Twenty days after the procedure, coil protrusion from the aneurysm into the left middle cerebral artery was observed, with a transient ischemic attack. Further coil protrusion did not develop. Both patients recovered with antithrombotic treatment. Even though delayed coil protrusion after coil embolization is rare, it should be recognized as a long-term complication of coil embolization for cerebral aneurysms. PMID:27384117

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is now completing a definition phase as a beginning of a three-year design effort. Preliminary parameters for the superconducting magnet system have been established to guide further and more detailed design work. Radiation tolerance of the superconductors and insulators has been of prime importance, since it sets requirements for the neutron-shield dimension and sensitively influences reactor size. The major levels of mechanical stress in the structure appear in the cases of the inboard legs of the toroidal-field (TF) coils. The cases of the poloidal-field (PF) coils must be made thin or segmented to minimize eddy current heating during inductive plasma operation. As a result, the winding packs of both the TF and PF coils includes significant fractions of steel. The TF winding pack provides support against in-plane separating loads but offers little support against out-of-plane loads, unless shear-bonding of the conductors can be maintained. The removal of heat due to nuclear and ac loads has not been a fundamental limit to design, but certainly has non-negligible economic consequences. We present here preliminary ITER magnetic systems design parameters taken from trade studies, designs, and analyses performed by the Home Teams of the four ITER participants, by the ITER Magnet Design Unit in Garching, and by other participants at workshops organized by the Magnet Design Unit. The work presented here reflects the efforts of many, but the responsibility for the opinions expressed is the authors'. 4 refs., 3 figs., 4 tabs.

We are developing a compact ultra-low-field MRI system that is composed of a SQUID gradiometer and a coil set that generates magnetic fields for capturing MR images. The magnetic interference induced from a power amplifier potentially disturbs MRI measurements. We investigated the path of the interference by experimental measurements and calculation of the magnetic field generated by the coil set. We found that the magnetic field generated from a particular gradient coil affected the SQUID gradiometer and that the level of the interference was strongly dependent on the shape of the gradient coils. When the coils' shapes are designed, minimizing the noise introduced from the power amplifier is crucial, in addition to consideration of the homogeneities of the magnetic field.

This paper presents a new approach to rescheduling called constraint-based iterative repair. This approach gives our system the ability to satisfy domain constraints, address optimization concerns, minimize perturbation to the original schedule, produce modified schedules, quickly, and exhibits 'anytime' behavior. The system begins with an initial, flawed schedule and then iteratively repairs constraint violations until a conflict-free schedule is produced. In an empirical demonstration, we vary the importance of minimizing perturbation and report how fast the system is able to resolve conflicts in a given time bound. We also show the anytime characteristics of the system. These experiments were performed within the domain of Space Shuttle ground processing.

This paper presents a new approach to rescheduling called constraint-based iterative repair. This approach gives our system the ability to satisfy domain constraints, address optimization concerns, minimize perturbation to the original schedule, and produce modified schedules quickly. The system begins with an initial, flawed schedule and then iteratively repairs constraint violations until a conflict-free schedule is produced. In an empirical demonstration, we vary the importance of minimizing perturbation and report how fast the system is able to resolve conflicts in a given time bound. These experiments were performed within the domain of Space Shuttle ground processing.

Mode conversion can occur repeatedly in a two-dimensional cavity (e.g., the poloidal cross section of an axisymmetric tokamak). We report on two novel concepts that allow for a complete and global visualization of the ray evolution under iterated conversions. First, iterated conversion is discussed in terms of ray-induced maps from the two-dimensional conversion surface to itself (which can be visualized in terms of three-dimensional rooms). Second, the two-dimensional conversion surface is shown to possess a symplectic structure derived from Dirac constraints associated with the two dispersion surfaces of the interacting waves.

Cochlea is important part of the hearing system, and thanks to special structure converts external sound waves into neural impulses which go to the brain. Shape of the cochlea is like snail, so geometry of the cochlea model is complex. The simplified cochlea coiled model was developed using finite element method inside SIFEM FP7 project. Software application is created on the way that user can prescribe set of the parameters for spiral cochlea, as well as material properties and boundary conditions to the model. Several mathematical models were tested. The acoustic wave equation for describing fluid in the cochlea chambers - scala vestibuli and scala timpani, and Newtonian dynamics for describing vibrations of the basilar membrane are used. The mechanical behavior of the coiled cochlea was analyzed and the third chamber, scala media, was not modeled because it does not have a significant impact on the mechanical vibrations of the basilar membrane. The obtained results are in good agreement with experimental measurements. Future work is needed for more realistic geometry model. Coiled model of the cochlea was created and results are compared with initial simplified coiled model of the cochlea.

We propose an efficient iterative method for generating random correlated binary sequences with a prescribed correlation function. The method is based on consecutive linear modulations of an initially uncorrelated sequence into a correlated one. Each step of modulation increases the correlations until the desired level has been reached. The robustness and efficiency of the proposed algorithm are tested by generating sequences with inverse power-law correlations. The substantial increase in the strength of correlation in the iterative method with respect to single-step filtering generation is shown for all studied correlation functions. Our results can be used for design of disordered superlattices, waveguides, and surfaces with selective transport properties.

A high power impulse magnetron sputtering apparatus and method using a vacuum chamber with a magnetron target and a substrate positioned in the vacuum chamber. A field coil being positioned between the magnetron target and substrate, and a pulsed power supply and/or a coil bias power supply connected to the field coil. The pulsed power supply connected to the field coil, and the pulsed power supply outputting power pulse widths of greater that 100 .mu.s.

Great scientists in the past have experimented with coils and magnets. Here we have a variation where coupling occurs between two coils and the oscillatory motion of two magnets to give somewhat surprising results. (Contains 6 figures and 1 footnote.)

: EC wave physics and applications, M. Thumm: Source and transmission line development, and S. Cirant: ITER specific system designs). These summaries are included in this issue to give a more complete view of the technical meeting. Finally, it is appropriate to mention the future of this meeting series. With the ratification of the ITER agreement and the formation of the ITER International Organization, it was recognized that meetings conducted by outside agencies with an exclusive focus on ITER would be somewhat unusual. However, the participants at this meeting felt that the gathering of international experts with diverse specialities within EC wave physics and technology to focus on using EC waves in future fusion devices like ITER was extremely valuable. It was therefore recommended that this series of meetings continue, but with the broader focus on the application of EC waves to steady-state and burning plasma experiments including demonstration power plants. As the papers in this special issue show, the EC community is already taking seriously the challenges of applying EC waves to fusion devices with high neutron fluence and continuous operation at high reliability.

Delamination of second generation (2G) High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) tapes has previously been reported when using resin based insulation systems for wound coils. One proposed root cause is the differential thermal contraction between the coil former and the resin encapsulated coil turns resulting in the tape c-axis tensile stress being exceeded. Importantly, delamination results in unacceptable degradation of the superconductor critical current level. To mitigate the delamination risk and prove winding, jointing and Vacuum Pressure Impregnation (VPI) processes in the production of coils for superconducting rotating machines at GE Power Conversion two scaled trial coils have been wound and extensively tested. The coils are wound from 12mm wide 2G HTS tape supplied by AMSC onto stainless steel 'racetrack' coil formers. The coils are wound in two layers which include both in-line and layer-layer joints subject to in-process test. The resin insulation system chosen is VPI and oven cured. Tests included; insulation resistance, repeat quench and recovery of the superconductor, heat runs and measurement of n-value, before and after multiple thermal cycling between ambient and 35 Kelvin. No degradation of coil performance is evidenced.

Mahajan-Yoshida has proposed a new relaxation theory, and found a new high-beta plasma configuration with the help of dynamic pressure induced by a strong plasma flow. For exploring this new relaxed configuration, the internal coil device is suitable. Now we are constructing the internal coil device with a floating super-conductor for studying high beta plasmas; the major radius of the internal coil is 15 cm and the coil current is 50 kA, and planning to produce a high density neutral plasma with 2.45 GHz Electron Cyclotron Heating system. The strong plasma flow in toroidal direction is expected by producing non-neutral plasmas. We have adopted to use high temperature superconductor (HTS) tape for the floating coil, expecting easy and reliable operation and maintenance of a super-conducting coil. In addition, the HTS coil is preferable for plasma experiments, because long pulse and/or high power heating experiments might be available due to the high thermal stability property and large heat capacity of the HTS coil. We have fabricated a small HTS coil and succeeded to levitate it with an accuracy of a few tens micrometers.

An internal coil device would be expected for exploring high beta plasmas based on plasma relaxation process. Prof. A. Hasegawa proposed an advanced fusion reactor with a dipole configuration, and Mahajan and Yoshida developed a new high beta state based on two-fluid relaxation theory. To study these high beta plasmas, we have constructed an internal coil device with a high temperature superconductor. The major radius of the internal coil is 15 cm, and the coil current is 50 kA. Three different types of Ag-sheathed Bi-2223 tapes are employed; i.e., a high critical current tape with a low silver ratio for the main HTS coil, a 0.3wt3atprovided by a GM refrigerator and supplied to the coil through a check valve, and the coil current is directly excited with the external power supply through removable electrodes. It took about 11 hours to cool the coil down to 21 K from the room temperature, and the nominal cable current of 118 A (overall coil current: 50 kA) has been achieved. A decay time constant of the persistent current is a few tens of hours. Plasma experiments in a dipole configuration have been initiated.

Design features of Bow-Shaped Toroidal Field Coils are described and compared with circular and D shaped coils. The results indicate that bow coils can produce higher field strengths, store more energy and be made demountable. The design offers the potential for the production of ultrahigh toroidal fields. Included are representative coil shapes and their engineering properties, a suggested structural design and an analysis of a specific case.

Coil, tube, and other structures configured with a plurality of individual coils, internal structures, legs or extensions with each having multiple cants per coil, internal structure, leg or extension, and wherein the cants formed therein allow for a load-deflection force when each is compressed. In addition, any horizontal or moment forces are substantially reduced and/or eliminated when a downward vertical force is applied, as minimal or no torsion is created in the individual coils, legs or extensions.

The design of a Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) coil wound by coated conductors has been presented. Based on an existing model for coated conductor pancake coils, this paper analysed the magnetic field and current density distribution of the coil at two different operation temperatures, 77K and 22K. A comparison table of the critical currents and AC losses at these two temperatures has been presented. Several steps to improve the transport current of the coil have been suggested as well.

Superconducting coils and methods of manufacture include a superconductor tape wound concentrically about and disposed along an axis of the coil to define an opening having a dimension which gradually decreases, in the direction along the axis, from a first end to a second end of the coil. Each turn of the superconductor tape has a broad surface maintained substantially parallel to the axis of the coil.

The US blanket design activity has focused on the developments and the analyses of a solid breeder blanket concept for ITER. The main function of this blanket is to produce the necessary tritium required for the ITER operation and the test program. Safety, power reactor relevance, low tritium inventory, and design flexibility are the main reasons for the blanket selection. The blanket is designed to operate satisfactorily in the physics and the technology phases of ITER without the need for hardware changes. Mechanical simplicity, predictability, performance, minimum cost, and minimum R D requirements are the other criteria used to guide the design process. The design aspects of the blanket are summarized in this paper. 2 refs., 7 figs., 3 tabs.

The problem of angle trisection continues to fascinate people even though it has long been known that it can't be done with straightedge and compass alone. However, for practical purposes, a good iterative procedure can get you as close as you want. In this note, we present such a procedure. Using only straightedge and compass, our procedure…

This workshop focuses on kernels for iterative software packages. Specifically, the three speakers discuss various aspects of sparse BLAS kernels. Their topics are: `Current status of user lever sparse BLAS`; Current status of the sparse BLAS toolkit`; and `Adding matrix-matrix and matrix-matrix-matrix multiply to the sparse BLAS toolkit`.

Recent experiments on DIII-D have demonstrated that having a toroidally-monochromatic spectral content of edge-resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) is not a necessary condition for suppression of edge localized modes (ELMs). Robust ELM suppression has been reproducibly obtained on DIII-D during experiments in which various non-axisymmetric coil loops were turned off pseudo-randomly producing a variety of n=1 , n= 2 , and n= 3 spectral contributions. It was shown that RMP ELM suppression could be achieved with as few as 5 out of 12 internal coil loops (I-coils) on DIII-D at similar coil currents and with good plasma confinement. Linear MHD plasma response (m3dc1, ipec, mars) and vacuum (surfmn, trip3d) modelling have been performed in order to understand the effects of the perturbation spectrum on the plasma response and ELM suppression. The results suggest that reduction of the dominant n= 3 perturbation field is compensated by increased n= 2 field in the plasma that may lead to RMP ELM suppression at lower levels of n= 3 perturbative magnetic flux from the I-coils. These results provide additional confidence that ITER may be capable of RMP ELM suppression in the event of multiple internal coil failures.

Recent experiments on DIII-D have demonstrated that having a toroidally-monochromatic spectral content of edge-resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) is not a necessary condition for suppression of edge localized modes (ELMs). Robust ELM suppression has been reproducibly obtained on DIII-D during experiments in which various non-axisymmetric coil loops were turned off pseudo-randomly producing a variety of n=1 , n=2, and n=3 spectral contributions. It was demonstrated that RMP ELM suppression could be achieved with as few as 5 out of 12 internal coil loops (I-coils) on DIII-D at similar coil currents and with good plasma confinement. Linear MHD plasma response (M3DC1, IPEC,more » MARS) and vacuum (SURFMN, TRIP3D) modelling have been performed in order to understand the effects of the perturbation spectrum on the plasma response and ELM suppression. The results suggest that reduction of the dominant n=3 perturbation field is compensated by increased n=2 field in the plasma that may lead to RMP ELM suppression at lower levels of n=3 perturbative magnetic flux from the I-coils. In conclusion, these results provide additional confidence that ITER may be capable of RMP ELM suppression in the event of multiple internal coil failures.« less

A simple continuum source tungsten coil atomic fluorescence spectrometer is constructed and evaluated. The heart of the system is the atomizer: a low-cost tungsten filament extracted from a 150 W light bulb. The filament is resistively heated with a small, solid-state, constant-current power supply. The atomizer is housed in a glass chamber and purged with a 1 L/min flow of a conventional welding gas mixture: 10% H(2)/Ar. A 25 μL sample aliquot is pipetted onto the tungsten coil, the liquid is dried at low current, and then the atomic vapor is produced by applying a current in the range 3.5-5.5 A. The atomization current does not produce temperatures high enough to excite atomic emission. Radiation from a 300 W xenon lamp is focused through the atomic vapor, exciting atomic fluorescence. Fluorescence signals are collected using a hand-held charge-coupled device (CCD) spectrometer. Simultaneous determination of ten elements (Ag, Bi, Cr, Cu, Ga, In, Mg, Mn, and Tl) results in detection limits in the range 0.3 to 10 ng. The application of higher atomization currents (10 A) leads to straightforward detection of atomic emission signals with no modifications to the instrument. PMID:21396184

Split cores for rotor and stator windings of rotary transformer mounted around their respective coils (which are in bobbins) and cemented together. This arrangement simplifies winding of stator coil to go in a slot in inner diameter of stator coil. One practical application of rotary transformers fabricated according to this technique is for centrifuges, in which conventional sliprings are of uncertain reliability.

The status of power and particle exhaust research in tokamaks is reviewed in the light of ITER requirements. There is a sound basis for ITER`s nominal design positions; important directions for further research are identified.

A preliminary engineering study of the ITER electron cyclotron heating (ECH) launcher configuration proposed by the ITER Conceptual Design Activity (CDA) team has been performed to assess its survivability in the ITER nuclear environment. Potential problem areas are with the vacuum windows, the plasma-facing mirrors, and some of the other high-power waveguide components that are untested in a reactor environment. The study indicates that the CDA design is quite robust, since the mirror power density is relatively low and the windows are well shielded. Although the CDA ECH system is unlikely to be built as proposed, most analysis techniques developed to study this system will apply to future ITER ECH system configurations. The vacuum window is likely to be the most difficult launcher component to develop. Design for a proposed resonant ring for high-power testing of windows using existing lower-power gyrotrons is presented.

A preliminary engineering study of the ITER electron cyclotron heating (ECH) launcher configuration proposed by the ITER Conceptual Design Activity (CDA) team has been performed to assess its survivability in the ITER nuclear environment. Potential problem areas are with the vacuum windows, the plasma-facing mirrors, and some of the other high-power waveguide components that are untested in a reactor environment. The study indicates that the CDA design is quite robust, since the mirror power density is relatively low and the windows are well shielded. Although the CDA ECH system is unlikely to be built as proposed, most analysis techniques developed to study this system will apply to future ITER ECH system configurations. The vacuum window is likely to be the most difficult launcher component to develop. Design for a proposed resonant ring for high-power testing of windows using existing lower-power gyrotrons is presented.

OAK-B135 The installation of new internal magnetic coils (I-Coils) in the DIII-D tokamak at General Atomics required extensive additions to the experiment data acquisition and protection capabilities. This set of 12 coils (up to 7 kA each) is designed to allow improved feedback stabilization of resistive wall modes which limit the plasma performance. The acquisition and signal conditions needs of the I-Coilpower system presented an opportunity to try a new data acquisition approach which increased both the sampling rate and sample size per channel compared to the standard DIII-D CAMAC acquisition equipment. A 96 channel Compact-PCI (cPCI) digitizer system was purchased for the I-Coil project to acquire up to approximately 380 MB of power supply and coil current data per plasma discharge. Additional instrumentation and control was provided to protect personnel, the new coils, the tokamak, the facility and improve machine availability. This paper will present discussions of technical and programmatic requirements, based for requirements, the design selection outcome, installation experience, integration issues, commissioning experience, and lessons learned. The data acquisition system is described in detail including a conservative signal isolation scheme, signal grounding standards, anti-aliasing filters, and synchronization of acquisition. Protection interlocks are described, including high voltage isolation, water flow measurement, and the coil grounding-shorting switches.

Printed spiral coils (PSCs) are viable candidates for near-field wireless power transmission to the next generation of high-performance neuroprosthetic devices with extreme size constraints, which will target intraocular and intracranial spaces. Optimizing the PSC geometries to maximize the power transfer efficiency of the wireless link is imperative to reduce the size of the external energy source, heating of the tissue, and interference with other devices. Implantable devices need to be hermetically sealed in biocompatible materials and placed in a conductive environment with high permittivity (tissue), which can affect the PSC characteristics. We have constructed a detailed model that includes the effects of the surrounding environment on the PSC parasitic components and eventually on the power transfer efficiency. We have combined this model with an iterative design method that starts with a set of realistic design constraints and ends with the optimal PSC geometries. We applied our design methodology to optimize the wireless link of a 1-cm2 implantable device example, operating at 13.56 MHz. Measurement results showed that optimized PSC pairs, coated with 0.3 mm of silicone, achieved 72.2%, 51.8%, and 30.8% efficiencies at a face-to-face relative distance of 10 mm in air, saline, and muscle, respectively. The PSC, which was optimized for air, could only bear 40.8% and 21.8% efficiencies in saline and muscle, respectively, showing that by including the PSC tissue environment in the design process the result can be more than a 9% improvement in the power transfer efficiency. PMID:20948991

Printed spiral coils (PSC) are viable candidates for near field wireless power transmission to the next generation of high performance neuroprosthetic devices with extreme size constraints, which will target intra-ocular and intracranial spaces. Optimizing the PSC geometries to maximize the power transfer efficiency of the wireless link is imperative to reduce the size of the external energy source, heating of the tissue, and interference with other devices. Implantable devices need to be hermetically sealed in biocompatible materials and placed in a conductive environment with high permittivity (tissue), which can affect the PSC characteristics. We have constructed a detailed model that includes the effects of the surrounding environment on the PSC parasitic components and eventually on the power transfer efficiency. We have combined this model with an iterative design method that starts with a set of realistic design constraints and ends with the optimal PSC geometries. We applied our design methodology to optimize the wireless link of a 1 cm2 implantable device example, operating at 13.56 MHz. Measurement results showed that optimized PSC pairs, coated with 0.3 mm of silicone, achieved 72.2%, 51.8%, and 30.8% efficiencies at a face to face relative distance of 10 mm, in air, saline, and muscle, respectively. The PSC which was optimized for air could only bear 40.8% and 21.8% efficiencies in saline and muscle, respectively, showing that including the PSC tissue environment in the design process can result in more than 9% improvement in the power transfer efficiency. PMID:19964693

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) transformers and reactor coils promise decreased weight and volume and higher efficiency. A critical design parameter for such devices is the AC loss in the conductor. The state of the art for AC-loss reduction in HTS power devices is described, starting from the loss in the single HTS tape. Improved tape manufacturing techniques have led to a significant decrease in the magnetization loss. Transport-current loss is decreased by choosing the right operating current and temperature. The role of tape dimensions, filament twist and resistive matrix is discussed and a comparison is made between state-of-the-art BSCCO and YBCO tapes. In transformer and reactor coils the AC loss in the tape is influenced by adjacent tapes in the coil, fields from other coils, overcurrents and higher harmonics. These factors are accounted for by a new AC-loss prediction model. Field components perpendicular to the tape are minimized by optimizing the coil design and by flux guidance pieces. High-current windings are made of Roebel conductors with transposed tapes. The model iteratively finds the temperature distribution in the winding and predicts the onset of thermal instability. We have fabricated and tested several AC windings and used them to validate the model. Now we can confidently use the model as an engineering tool for designing HTS windings and for determining the necessary tape properties.

A three-dimensional coil inductor is disclosed. The inductor includes a substrate; a set of lower electrically conductive traces positioned on the substrate; a core placed over the lower traces; a set of side electrically conductive traces laid on the core and the lower traces; and a set of upper electrically conductive traces attached to the side traces so as to form the inductor. Fabrication of the inductor includes the steps of forming a set of lower traces on a substrate; positioning a core over the lower traces; forming a set of side traces on the core; connecting the side traces to the lower traces; forming a set of upper traces on the core; and connecting the upper traces to the side traces so as to form a coil structure.

Executive Summary Objective To determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of coil embolization compared with surgical clipping to treat intracranial aneurysms. The Technology Endovascular coil embolization is a percutaneous approach to treat an intracranial aneurysm from within the blood vessel without the need of a craniotomy. In this procedure, a microcatheter is inserted into the femoral artery near the groin and navigated to the site of the aneurysm. Small helical platinum coils are deployed through the microcatheter to fill the aneurysm, and prevent it from further expansion and rupture. Health Canada has approved numerous types of coils and coil delivery systems to treat intracranial aneurysms. The most favoured are controlled detachable coils. Coil embolization may be used with other adjunct endovascular devices such as stents and balloons. Background Intracranial Aneurysms Intracranial aneurysms are the dilation or ballooning of part of a blood vessel in the brain. Intracranial aneurysms range in size from small (<12 mm in diameter) to large (12–25 mm), and to giant (>25 mm). There are 3 main types of aneurysms. Fusiform aneurysms involve the entire circumference of the artery; saccular aneurysms have outpouchings; and dissecting aneurysms have tears in the arterial wall. Berry aneurysms are saccular aneurysms with well-defined necks. Intracranial aneurysms may occur in any blood vessel of the brain; however, they are most commonly found at the branch points of large arteries that form the circle of Willis at the base of the brain. In 85% to 95% of patients, they are found in the anterior circulation. Aneurysms in the posterior circulation are less frequent, and are more difficult to treat surgically due to inaccessibility. Most intracranial aneurysms are small and asymptomatic. Large aneurysms may have a mass effect, causing compression on the brain and cranial nerves and neurological deficits. When an intracranial aneurysm ruptures and bleeds

CREST is a conceptual tokamak reactor design with high β plasma, high thermal efficiency, competitive cost and water-cooled ferritic steel components. Some of its parameters are similar to those of the ITER advanced mode plasma. In this manuscript, the specific issues and analysis on damage to TF coils of CREST were carried out based on the three-dimensional model of the CREST with the widely used code MCNP/4C and the IAEA latest released FENDL/2.1 data library. Damage to some specific regions of the TF coils near large openings and at the inboard mid-plane are calculated and analyzed. Parameters such as the distributions of nuclear heat density, fast neutron flux, dose rate to the epoxy insulator, and peak displacement dose to Cu conductor for the TF coil near these regions were calculated and analyzed. The shield thicknesses at these regions are optimized.

High-efficiency power transfer at a long distance can be efficiently established using resonance-based wireless techniques. In contrast to the conventional two-coil-based inductive links, this paper presents a magnetically coupled fully planar four-coil printed spiral resonator-based wireless power-transfer system that compensates the adverse effect of low coupling and improves efficiency by using high quality-factor coils. A conformal architecture is adopted to reduce the transmitter and receiver sizes. Both square architecture and circular architectures are analyzed and optimized to provide maximum efficiency at a certain operating distance. Furthermore, their performance is compared on the basis of the power-transfer efficiency and power delivered to the load. Square resonators can produce higher measured power-transfer efficiency (79.8%) than circular resonators (78.43%) when the distance between the transmitter and receiver coils is 10 mm of air medium at a resonant frequency of 13.56 MHz. On the other hand, circular coils can deliver higher power (443.5 mW) to the load than the square coils (396 mW) under the same medium properties. The performance of the proposed structures is investigated by simulation using a three-layer human-tissue medium and by experimentation. PMID:27527169

High voltage insulation breaks are used in cryogenic lines with gas or liquid (helium, hydrogen, nitrogen, etc.) at a temperature range of 4.2-300 K and pressure up to 30 MPa to insulate the parts of an electrophysical facility with different electrical potentials. In 2013 JSC "NIIEFA" delivered 95 high voltage insulation breaks to the IO ITER, i.e. 65 breaks with spiral channels and 30 breaks with uniflow channels. These high voltage insulation breaks were designed, manufactured and tested in accordance with the ITER Technical Specifications: «Axial Insulating Breaks for the Qualification Phase of ITERCoils and Feeders». The high voltage insulation breaks consist of the glass-reinforced plastic cylinder equipped with channels for cryoagent and stainless steel end fittings. The operating voltage is 30 kV for the breaks with spiral channels (30 kV HV IBs) and 4 kV for the breaks with uniflow channels (4 kV HV IBs). The main design feature of the 30 kV HV IBs is the spiral channels instead of a linear one. This approach has enabled us to increase the breakdown voltage and decrease the overall dimensions of the high voltage insulation breaks. In 2013 the manufacturing technique was developed to produce the high voltage insulation breaks with the spiral and uniflow channels that made it possible to proceed to serial production. To provide the acceptance tests of the breaks a special test facility was prepared. The helium tightness test at 10-11 m3Pa/s under the pressure up to 10 MPa, the high voltage test up to 135 kV and different types of mechanical tests were carried out at the room and liquid nitrogen temperatures.

Key parts of the ITER scenarios are determined by the capability of the proposed poloidal field (PF) coil set. They include the plasma breakdown at low loop voltage, the current rise phase, the performance during the flat top (FT) phase and a ramp down of the plasma. The ITER discharge evolution has been verified in dedicated experiments. New data are obtained from C-Mod, ASDEX Upgrade, DIII-D, JT-60U and JET. Results show that breakdown for Eaxis < 0.23-0.33 V m-1 is possible unassisted (ohmic) for large devices like JET and attainable in devices with a capability of using ECRH assist. For the current ramp up, good control of the plasma inductance is obtained using a full bore plasma shape with early X-point formation. This allows optimization of the flux usage from the PF set. Additional heating keeps li(3) < 0.85 during the ramp up to q95 = 3. A rise phase with an H-mode transition is capable of achieving li(3) < 0.7 at the start of the FT. Operation of the H-mode reference scenario at q95 ~ 3 and the hybrid scenario at q95 = 4-4.5 during the FT phase is documented, providing data for the li (3) evolution after the H-mode transition and the li (3) evolution after a back-transition to L-mode. During the ITER ramp down it is important to remain diverted and to reduce the elongation. The inductance could be kept <=1.2 during the first half of the current decay, using a slow Ip ramp down, but still consuming flux from the transformer. Alternatively, the discharges can be kept in H-mode during most of the ramp down, requiring significant amounts of additional heating.

A set of equations has been developed for calculating pipe collapse pressure for oval tubing such as coiled tubing. When coiled tubing is placed onto a reel, the tubing is forced into an oval shape and never again returns to perfect roundness because the coiling process exceeds the plasticity limits of the tubing. Straightening the tubing for the trip into the well does not restore roundness. The consequence of this physical property is that all coiled tubing collapse pressure calculations should be made considering oval tubing, not round tubing. Tubing collapse can occur when formation pressure against the coiled tubing exceeds the collapse resistance inherent in the coiled tubing. As coiled tubing becomes more oval in shape, it becomes more oval in shape, it becomes more susceptible to collapse from outside pressure.

Methods and apparatus are provided for fabricating and constructing solid dielectric "Coiled Transmission Line" pulse generators in radial or axial coiled geometries. The pour and cure fabrication process enables a wide variety of geometries and form factors. The volume between the conductors is filled with liquid blends of monomers, polymers, oligomers, and/or cross-linkers and dielectric powders; and then cured to form high field strength and high dielectric constant solid dielectric transmission lines that intrinsically produce ideal rectangular high voltage pulses when charged and switched into matched impedance loads. Voltage levels may be increased by Marx and/or Blumlein principles incorporating spark gap or, preferentially, solid state switches (such as optically triggered thyristors) which produce reliable, high repetition rate operation. Moreover, these Marxed pulse generators can be DC charged and do not require additional pulse forming circuitry, pulse forming lines, transformers, or an a high voltage spark gap output switch. The apparatus accommodates a wide range of voltages, impedances, pulse durations, pulse repetition rates, and duty cycles. The resulting mobile or flight platform friendly cylindrical geometric configuration is much more compact, light-weight, and robust than conventional linear geometries, or pulse generators constructed from conventional components. Installing additional circuitry may accommodate optional pulse shape improvements. The Coiled Transmission Lines can also be connected in parallel to decrease the impedance, or in series to increase the pulse length.

A breeding blanket design has been developed for ITER to provide the necessary tritium fuel to achieve the technical objectives of the Enhanced Performance Phase. It uses a ceramic breeder and water coolant for compatibility with the ITER machine design of the Basic Performance Phase. Lithium zirconate and lithium oxide am the selected ceramic breeders based on the current data base. Enriched lithium and beryllium neutron multiplier are used for both breeders. Both forms of beryllium material, blocks and pebbles are used at different blanket locations based on thermo-mechanical considerations and beryllium thickness requirements. Type 316LN austenitic steel is used as structural material similar to the shielding blanket. Design issues and required R&D data are identified during the development of the design.

A simple thermodynamic formalism is presented to model the conformational transition between a random-coil monomeric peptide and a coiled-coil helical dimer. The coiled-coil helical dimer is the structure of a class of proteins also called leucine zipper, which has been studied intensively in recent years. Our model, which is appropriate particularly for short peptides, is an alternative to the theory developed by Skolnick and Holtzer. Using the present formalism, we discuss the multi-equilibriatory nature of this transition and provide an explanation for the apparent two-state behavior of coiled-coil formation when the helix-coil transition is coupled to dimerization. It is found that such coupling between multi-equilibria and a true two-state transition can simplify the data analysis, but care must be taken in using the overall association constant to determine helix propensities (w) of single residues. Successful use of the two-state model does not imply that the helix-coil transition is all-or-none. The all-or-none assumption can provide good numerical estimates when w is around unity (0.35 < or = w < or = 1.35), but when w is small (w < 0.01), similar estimations can lead to large errors. The theory of the helix-coil transition in denaturation experiments is also discussed. PMID:7919005

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) team is completing the second year of a three-year conceptual design phase. The purpose of ITER is to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power. It is to demonstrate plasma ignition and extended burn with steady state as the ultimate goal. In so doing, it is to provide the physics data base needed for a demonstration tokamak power reactor and to demonstrate reactor-relevant technologies, such as high-heat-flux and nuclear components for fusion power. To meet these objectives, many design compromises had to be reached by the participants following a careful review of the physics and technology base for fusion. The current ITER design features a 6-m major radius, a 2.15-m minor radius and a 22-MA plasma current. About 330 volt-seconds in the poloidal field system inductively drive the current for hundreds of seconds. Moreover, about 125 MW of neutral-beam, lower-hybrid, and electron-cyclotron power are provided for steady-state current drive and heating all these systems are discussed in this paper. 3 refs., 6 figs., 7 tabs.

Summary Like other fields of medicine, robotics and mechanization might be introduced into endovascular coil embolization of intracranial aneurysms for effective treatment. We have already reported that coil insertion force could be smaller and more stable when the coil delivery wire is driven mechanically at a constant speed. Another background is the difficulty in synchronizing operators' minds and hands when two operators control the microcatheter and the coil respectively. We have therefore developed a mechanical coil insertion system enabling a single operator to insert coils at a fixed speed while controlling the microcatheter. Using our new system, the operator manipulated the microcatheter with both hands and drove the coil using foot switches simultaneously. A delivery wire force sensor previously reported was used concurrently, allowing the operator to detect excessive stress on the wire. In vitro coil embolization was performed using three methods: simple mechanical advance of the coil; simple mechanical advance of the coil with microcatheter control; and driving (forward and backward) of the coil using foot switches in addition to microcatheter control. The system worked without any problems, and did not interfere with any procedures. In experimental coil embolization, delivery wire control using the foot switches as well as microcatheter manipulation helped to achieve successful insertion of coils. This system could offer the possibility of developing safer and more efficient coil embolization. Although we aim at total mechanization and automation of procedures in the future, microcatheter manipulation and synchronized delivery wire control are still indispensable using this system. PMID:23693038

Like other fields of medicine, robotics and mechanization might be introduced into endovascular coil embolization of intracranial aneurysms for effective treatment. We have already reported that coil insertion force could be smaller and more stable when the coil delivery wire is driven mechanically at a constant speed. Another background is the difficulty in synchronizing operators' minds and hands when two operators control the microcatheter and the coil respectively. We have therefore developed a mechanical coil insertion system enabling a single operator to insert coils at a fixed speed while controlling the microcatheter. Using our new system, the operator manipulated the microcatheter with both hands and drove the coil using foot switches simultaneously. A delivery wire force sensor previously reported was used concurrently, allowing the operator to detect excessive stress on the wire. In vitro coil embolization was performed using three methods: simple mechanical advance of the coil; simple mechanical advance of the coil with microcatheter control; and driving (forward and backward) of the coil using foot switches in addition to microcatheter control. The system worked without any problems, and did not interfere with any procedures. In experimental coil embolization, delivery wire control using the foot switches as well as microcatheter manipulation helped to achieve successful insertion of coils. This system could offer the possibility of developing safer and more efficient coil embolization. Although we aim at total mechanization and automation of procedures in the future, microcatheter manipulation and synchronized delivery wire control are still indispensable using this system. PMID:23693038

An optimized geometry has been proposed for superconducting sensing coils that are used in conjunction with superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetoencephalography (MEG), and related applications in which magnetic fields of small dipoles are detected. In designing a coil of this type, as in designing other sensing coils, one seeks to maximize the sensitivity of the detector of which the coil is a part, subject to geometric constraints arising from the proximity of other required equipment. In MRI or MEG, the main benefit of maximizing the sensitivity would be to enable minimization of measurement time. In general, to maximize the sensitivity of a detector based on a sensing coil coupled with a SQUID sensor, it is necessary to maximize the magnetic flux enclosed by the sensing coil while minimizing the self-inductance of this coil. Simply making the coil larger may increase its self-inductance and does not necessarily increase sensitivity because it also effectively increases the distance from the sample that contains the source of the signal that one seeks to detect. Additional constraints on the size and shape of the coil and on the distance from the sample arise from the fact that the sample is at room temperature but the coil and the SQUID sensor must be enclosed within a cryogenic shield to maintain superconductivity.

A novel coil design for inductive electromagnetic stimulation of neural cells has been simulated and experimentally tested. This coil improves the focal effect of a magnetic stimulator, and it reduces its inductance, hence the efficiency of the system is improved. The basic structure of the device is derived from the popular "Slinky" toy. The actual device is formed by winding different numbers of loops forming a helical coil on a half torus. The loops are bunched at the axis of the torus. The coil, due to its geometry, generates a unique distribution of eddy currents in nearby tissues which is favorable compared to a solenoid type stimulator. This renders the Slinky coil more selective than conventional coils used for magnetic stimulation. The distribution of eddy currents was analyzed using Matlab, following Faraday's Law of Induction. Improved focality permits the current through the coil to be reduced for the same effect. In addition, the reduced inductance of the Slinky coil decreases the power requirement; thus, the improved efficiency of the system may allow the generation of bursts of pulses, and expand the utilization of the system to possible functional activation of certain neuro-muscular structures when peripheral nerves are stimulated. PMID:7558066

The large helical device (LHD) type fusion power reactor has many advantages in operations such as steady state and no active plasma current. The magnet system of the LHD-type fusion device consists of superconducting helical coils and superconducting poloidal coils. Since the helical coil is a complicated three-dimensional structure, designs of the coil and the supporting structure have to be performed carefully. Clarifying the mechanical behavior during coil excitation is very important for a design of the coil system. The mechanical behavior for components in the helical coil can be estimated using a simplified two dimensional axisymmetric model which has a mean radius of curvature of the actual helical coil. To evaluate the accuracy of this simplified model, stress distribution was calculated with three-dimensional finite element model and the result was compared with that of the simplified model. The stress distribution of a candidate design of LHD-type helical reactor was estimated by using the simplified model and the result showed that the stress / strain level were within the reasonable range for composed materials.

Advantageous features of Chemical Oxygen-Iodine Laser (COIL) for laser technologies have increased considerably activities of international COIL communities during past ten years. They have been focused on the advanced concepts of hardware designs of the COIL subsystems, and testing and scaling-up of existing laser facilities. Prospective special applications of COIL technology, both civil and military, have received a significant attention and gained concrete aims. The paper is introduced by a brief description of the COIL operation mechanism and key device subsystems. It deals then with presentation of some investigated advanced concepts of singlet oxygen generators, alternative methods for atomic iodine generation, a mixing and ejector nozzle design to downsize a pressure recovery system, and optical resonators for high powerCOIL systems. The advanced diagnostics and computational modeling are also mentioned as very useful tools for critical insight into the laser kinetics and fluid dynamics, supporting thus the COIL research. The recent progress in the COIL development moves this laser closer to the application projects that are also briefly presented.

A small coil was made and tested for the purpose of magnet technology development for YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) high field coils. The coil has a winding inner diameter of 24 mm, outer diameter of 36 mm, and length of 46 mm in a pancake wound construction of 5 double pancakes. The YBCO conductor is SuperPower SCS4050 with 2×20 μm of copper stabilizer. The coil was tested in the high field user facility of the NHMFL in a 31 T background field magnet. At this background field, the coil was operated to a current of 325 A and produced a field increment of 2.8 T for a record total field of 33.8 T. The average current density in the windings at full current was very high at 446 A/mm2. The test was complicated by the accumulation of trapped helium gas about the coil due to the diamagnetic effect of helium at high field. Even though the coil operated at elevated temperature during the high field test, the coil performance was limited by mechanical degradation and not a critical current limit.

Recent experiments in DIII-D have demonstrated that Edge Localized Modes (ELMs) in a tokamak can be controlled with a reduced number of magnetic perturbation coils, demonstrating an important role of spectral sidebands, and showing promise of the technique for future fusion devices, where ELMs risk potentially damaging heat loads. The ELMs can be controlled with external magnetic perturbation used to regulate pressure gradients and maintain stability. The new results show that the coil currents required for ELM suppression with the reduced coil sets are comparable to what is typically required for the full set. This counterintuitive result provides an important validation of recent modeling of the physical mechanisms involved. This modeling shows that the spectral sidebands introduced by deactivating individual coils can often increase the magnetic stochasticity within the plasma, thereby increasing transport and facilitating ELM suppression. Deactivating individual coils results not only in the reduction of the dominant n = 3 component of the perturbation field, but also in a significant increase in the amplitudes of n = 1 and n = 2 sidebands. These sidebands may also be amplified by the plasma response. Application to ITER finds that the ITER ELM coils may be able to tolerate a loss of up to five of its 27 coils, while leaving a sufficient margin of current in the remaining coils to still meet the DIII-D ELM suppression criterion. Further, the new experiments show that the presence of the spectral sidebands does not adversely affect the plasma rotation or confinement. Both vacuum and two-fluid modeling are used to interpret and understand these results. Supported by US DOE under DE-FG02-05ER54809 & DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Background Long alpha-helical coiled-coil proteins are involved in diverse organizational and regulatory processes in eukaryotic cells. They provide cables and networks in the cyto- and nucleoskeleton, molecular scaffolds that organize membrane systems and tissues, motors, levers, rotating arms, and possibly springs. Mutations in long coiled-coil proteins have been implemented in a growing number of human diseases. Using the coiled-coil prediction program MultiCoil, we have previously identified all long coiled-coil proteins from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and have established a searchable Arabidopsis coiled-coil protein database. Results Here, we have identified all proteins with long coiled-coil domains from 21 additional fully sequenced genomes. Because regions predicted to form coiled-coils interfere with sequence homology determination, we have developed a sequence comparison and clustering strategy based on masking predicted coiled-coil domains. Comparing and grouping all long coiled-coil proteins from 22 genomes, the kingdom-specificity of coiled-coil protein families was determined. At the same time, a number of proteins with unknown function could be grouped with already characterized proteins from other organisms. Conclusion MultiCoil predicts proteins with extended coiled-coil domains (more than 250 amino acids) to be largely absent from bacterial genomes, but present in archaea and eukaryotes. The structural maintenance of chromosomes proteins and their relatives are the only long coiled-coil protein family clearly conserved throughout all kingdoms, indicating their ancient nature. Motor proteins, membrane tethering and vesicle transport proteins are the dominant eukaryote-specific long coiled-coil proteins, suggesting that coiled-coil proteins have gained functions in the increasingly complex processes of subcellular infrastructure maintenance and trafficking control of the eukaryotic cell. PMID:16288662

A new peptide sequence (MB1) has been designed which, in the presence of a trivalent lanthanide ion, has been programmed to self-assemble to form a three stranded metallo-coiledcoil, Ln(III)(MB1)3. The binding site has been incorporated into the hydrophobic core using natural amino acids, restricting water access to the lanthanide. The resulting terbium coiledcoil displays luminescent properties consistent with a lack of first coordination sphere water molecules. Despite this the gadolinium coiledcoil, the first to be reported, displays promising magnetic resonance contrast capabilities. PMID:24405157

A watt balance is a precision apparatus for the measurement of the Planck constant that has been proposed as a primary method for realizing the unit of mass in a revised International System of Units. In contrast to an ampere balance, which was historically used to realize the unit of current in terms of the kilogram, the watt balance relates electrical and mechanical units through a virtual power measurement and has far greater precision. However, because the virtual power measurement requires the execution of a prescribed motion of a coil in a fixed magnetic field, systematic errors introduced by horizontal and rotational deviations of the coil from its prescribed path will compromise the accuracy. We model these potential errors using an analysis that accounts for the fringing field in the magnet, creating a framework for assessing the impact of this class of errors on the uncertainty of watt balance results.

We report a new approach to obtaining single-transverse-mode operation of a multimode fiber amplifier in which the gain fiber is coiled to induce significant bend loss for all but the lowest-order mode. We demonstrated this method by constructing a coiled amplifier using Yb-doped, double-clad fiber with a core diameter of 25 {mu}m and a numerical aperture of {approx}0.1 (V{approx_equal}7.4) . When the amplifier was operated as an amplified-spontaneous-emission source, the output beam had an M{sup 2} value of 1.09{+-}0.09 ; when seeded at 1064 nm, the slope efficiency was similar to that of an uncoiled amplifier. This technique will permit scaling of pulsed fiber lasers and amplifiers to significantly higher pulse energies and peak powers and cw fiber sources to higher average powers while maintaining excellent beam quality. (c) 2000 Optical Society of America.

The ITER Central Solenoid (CS) requires compact and reliable joints for its Cable-in-Conduit Conductor (CICC). The baseline design is a diffusion bonded butt joint. In such a joint the mating cables are compacted to a very low void fraction in a copper sleeve and then heat treated. After the heat treatment the ends are cut, polished and aligned against each other and then diffusion bonded under high compression in a vacuum chamber at 750 C. The jacket is then welded on the conductor to complete the joint, which remarkably does not require more room than a regular conductor. This joint design is based on a proven concept developed for the ITER CS Model Coil that was successfully tested in the previous R&D phase.

The golgins are a family of predominantly coiled-coil proteins that are localized to the Golgi apparatus. Golgins are present in all eukaryotes, suggesting an evolutionary conserved function. Golgins are anchored to the Golgi membrane by their carboxy terminus and are predicted to adopt an extended conformation that projects into the surrounding cytoplasm. This arrangement is ideal for the capture or tethering of nearby membranes or cytoskeletal elements. Golgin-mediated tethering is thought to be important for vesicular traffic at the Golgi apparatus, the maintenance of Golgi architecture, as well as the positioning of the Golgi apparatus within cells. In addition to acting as tethers, some golgins can also sequester various factors at the Golgi membrane, allowing for the spatiotemporal regulation of downstream cellular functions. Although it is now established that golgins are membrane and cytoskeleton tethers, the mechanisms underlying tethering remain poorly defined. Moreover, the importance of golgin-mediated tethering in a physiological context remains to be fully explored. This review will describe our current understanding of golgin function, highlighting recent progress that has been made, and goes on to discuss outstanding questions and potential avenues for future research with regard to this family of conserved Golgi-associated proteins. PMID:26793708

An electric power supply employs a striking means to initiate ferroelectric elements which provide electrical energy output which subsequently initiates an explosive charge which initiates a second ferroelectric current generator to deliver current to the coil of a magnetic field current generator, creating a magnetic field around the coil. Continued detonation effects compression of the magnetic field and subsequent generation and delivery of a large output current to appropriate output loads.

Ship defense system with a pulsed COIL (Chemical Oxygen-Iodine Laser) has been considered. One of the greatest threats for battle ships and carriers in warfare are supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs). A countermeasure is considered to be a supersonic RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile) at first. A gun-type CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) should be used as the last line of defense. However since an ASCM can be detected at only 30-50km away due to radar horizon, a speed-of-light weapon is desirable as the first defense especially if the ASCM flies at >Mach 6. Our previous report explained several advantages of a giant pulse from a chemical oxygen laser (COL) to shoot down supersonic aircrafts. Since the first defense has the target distance of ~30km, the use of COIL is better considering its beam having high transmissivity in air. Therefore efficient operation of a giant-pulsed COIL has been investigated with rate-equation simulations. The simulation results indicate that efficient single-pass amplification can be expected. Also a design example of a giant-pulsed COIL MOPA (master oscillator and power amplifier) system has been shown, in which the output energy can be increased without limit.

Development of the high pressure singlet oxygen generator (SOG) is a very important aspect for chemical oxygen-iodine laser (COIL). Increasing of oxygen pressure up to 30 torr and more at conserving high O2(1(Delta) ) yield and maintaining BHP temperature at minus (10 divided by 20) degrees Celsius permits us to decrease ration [H2O]/[O2] to 5% and less. In this case COIL can operate successfully without a water vapor trap. With raising the total pressure Reynolds number increases too, diminishing boundary layers in supersonic nozzles and improving pressure recovery. The weight and dimensions of the SOG and laser become reduced for the same gas flow rate. For solving these problems the jet SOG has been suggested and developed in Lebedev Physical Institute, Samara Branch. The advantages of the jet SOG consist of the following: (1) Large and controlled specific surface of contact liquid-gas provides for high mass transfer efficiency. (2) High jets velocity guarantees fast basic hydrogen peroxide (BHP) surface renovation. (3) High gas velocity in the reaction zone diminishes O2(1(Delta) ) quenching. (4) Efficient gas-liquid heat exchange eliminates the gas heating and generation water vapor due O2(1(Delta) ) quenching. (5) Counterflowing design of the jet SOG produces the best conditions for self-cleaning gas flow of droplets in the reaction zone and gives the possibility of COIL operation without droplets separator. High pressure jet SOG has some features connected with intrachannel jet formation, free space jets reconstruction, interaction jets ensemble with counter moving gas flow and drag part of gas by jets, disintegrating jets, generation and separation of droplets, heat effects, surface renovation, impoverishment BHP surface by HO2- ions, moving solution film on the reaction zone walls, etc. In this communication our current understanding of the major processes in the jet SOG is set forth. The complex gas and hydrodynamic processes with heat and mass transfer

The C-coil recently installed on the DIII-D tokamak was developed to reduce the error fields created by imperfections in the location and geometry of the existing coils used to confine, heat, and shape the plasma. First results from C-coil experiments include stable operation in a 1.6 MA plasma with a density less than 1.0 {times} 10{sup 13} cm{sup {minus}3}, nearly a factor of three lower density than that achievable without the C-coil. The C-coil has also been used in magnetic braking of the plasma rotation and high energy particle confinement experiments. The C-coil system consists of six individual saddle coils, each 60{degree} wide toroidally, spanning the midplane of the vessel with a vertical height of 1.6 m. The coils are located at a major radius of 3.2 m, just outside of the toroidal field coils. The actual shape and geometry of each coil section varied somewhat from the nominal dimensions due to the large number of obstructions to the desired coil path around the already crowded tokamak. Each coil section consists of four turns of 750 MCM insulated copper cable banded with stainless steel straps within the web of a 3 in. x 3 in. stainless steel angle frame. The C-coil structure was designed to resist peak transient radial forces (up to 1,800 Nm) exerted on the coil by the toroidal and ploidal fields. The coil frames were supported from existing poloidal field coil case brackets, coil studs, and various other structures on the tokamak.

Coiled-coils refer to a bundle of helices coiled together like strands of a rope. It has been estimated that nearly 3% of protein-encoding regions of genes harbour coiled-coil domains (CCDs). Experimental studies have confirmed that CCDs play a fundamental role in subcellular infrastructure and controlling trafficking of eukaryotic cells. Given the importance of coiled-coils, multiple bioinformatics tools have been developed to facilitate the systematic and high-throughput prediction of CCDs in proteins. In this article, we review and compare 12 sequence-based bioinformatics approaches and tools for coiled-coil prediction. These approaches can be categorized into two classes: coiled-coil detection and coiled-coil oligomeric state prediction. We evaluated and compared these methods in terms of their input/output, algorithm, prediction performance, validation methods and software utility. All the independent testing data sets are available at http://lightning.med.monash.edu/coiledcoil/. In addition, we conducted a case study of nine human polyglutamine (PolyQ) disease-related proteins and predicted CCDs and oligomeric states using various predictors. Prediction results for CCDs were highly variable among different predictors. Only two peptides from two proteins were confirmed to be CCDs by majority voting. Both domains were predicted to form dimeric coiled-coils using oligomeric state prediction. We anticipate that this comprehensive analysis will be an insightful resource for structural biologists with limited prior experience in bioinformatics tools, and for bioinformaticians who are interested in designing novel approaches for coiled-coil and its oligomeric state prediction. PMID:26177815

Coiledcoil is a ubiquitous structural motif in proteins, with two to seven alpha helices coiled together like the strands of a rope, and coiledcoil folding and assembly is not completely understood. A GCN4 leucine zipper mutant with four mutations of K3A, D7A, Y17W, and H18N has been designed, and the crystal structure has been determined at 1.6 {angstrom} resolution. The peptide monomer shows a helix trunk with short curved N- and C-termini. In the crystal, two monomers cross in 35{sup o} and form an X-shaped dimer, and each X-shaped dimer is welded into the next one through sticky hydrophobic ends, thus forming an extended two-stranded, parallel, super long coiledcoil rather than a discrete, two-helix coiledcoil of the wild-type GCN4 leucine zipper. Leucine residues appear at every seventh position in the super long coiledcoil, suggesting that it is an extended super leucine zipper. Compared to the wild-type leucine zipper, the N-terminus of the mutant has a dramatic conformational change and the C-terminus has one more residue Glu 32 determined. The mutant X-shaped dimer has a large crossing angle of 35{sup o} instead of 18{sup o} in the wild-type dimer. The results show a novel assembly mode and oligomeric state of coiledcoil, and demonstrate that mutations may affect folding and assembly of the overall coiledcoil. Analysis of the formation mechanism of the super long coiledcoil may help understand and design self-assembling protein fibers.

The main cryogenic users of ITER are the superconducting magnet system and the cryogenic vacuum pumps. The magnet system consists of 18 toroidal field and six poloidal field coils and the central solenoid coils. The cryogenic vacuum pumps contain eight pumps for the vacuum vessel, up to four pumps for the neutral beam injectors and two for the tokamak cryostat.The paper presents the current design status of the ITER cryoplant and its operating features that allow stable and flexible operation for different plasma pulsing scenarios and transient operating modes including cool-down and coil quench. The LHe plant operates in a combined liquefaction / refrigeration mode. Liquefied helium is used for the coil current leads and for cool-down of the cryopumps after their regeneration at 80 K. The operating temperature of the LHe plant can vary in the range of 4.3 K to 4.5 K to satisfy different cooling demands of various plasma scenarios. The LHe plant is designed for a large variation ratio of refrigeration to liquefaction in order to facilitate filling of the coils with a large amount of supercritical helium after a standard cool-down or specific cool-down mode following a fast energy discharge.

A technique is described for more reproducible fabrication of electromagnetic levitation coils. A split mandrel was developed upon which the coil is wound. After fabrication the mandrel can be disassembled to remove it from the coil. Previously, a full day was required to fabricate a levitation coil and the success rate for a functional coil was only 50 percent. About eight coils may be completed in one day using the technique developed and 95 percent of them are good levitation coils.

It is well known that, in CT reconstruction, Maximum A Posteriori (MAP) reconstruction based on a Poisson noise model can be well approximated by Penalized Weighted Least Square (PWLS) minimization based on a data dependent Gaussian noise model. We study minimization of the PWLS objective function using the Gradient Descent (GD) method, and show that if an exact inverse of the forward projector exists, the PWLS GD update equation can be translated into an update equation which entirely operates in the image domain. In case of non-linear regularization and arbitrary noise model this means that a non-linear image filter must exist which solves the optimization problem. In the general case of non-linear regularization and arbitrary noise model, the analytical computation is not trivial and might lead to image filters which are computationally very expensive. We introduce a new iteration scheme in image space, based on a regularization filter with an anisotropic noise model. Basically, this approximates the statistical data weighting and regularization in PWLS reconstruction. If needed, e.g. for compensation of the non-exactness of backprojector, the image-based regularization loop can be preceded by a raw data based loop without regularization and statistical data weighting. We call this combined iterative reconstruction scheme Adaptive Iterative Reconstruction (AIR). It will be shown that in terms of low-contrast visibility, sharpness-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratio, PWLS and AIR reconstruction are similar to a high degree of accuracy. In clinical images the noise texture of AIR is also superior to the more artificial texture of PWLS.

This paper describes a Pulsed Cable Test Facility (PCTF) under development at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). Its essential part is a pulsed superconducting split coil. The inner and outer diameters of the coil will be 45.1 cm and 88.3 cm, respectively, with an adjustable gap between the two halves of the coil. At a peak current of 11 kA, the coil will store an energy of 3.5 MJ and produce a magnetic field of 6.4 T. Using a 7 MW pulsed (2.9 MW rms) power supply, the PCTF coil will produce field change of 6 T/s. With the addition of a solid state switch to the system, dB/dt values of up to 24 T/s can be obtained. Pancake coils, wound with developmental cables, will be placed in the adjustable gap of the PCTF coil and be tested at up to 50 kA furnished by a separate power supply. The PCTF cryogenic facilities include a non-metallic cryostat and a helium liquefier.

Coil designs are developed for novel magnetic divertor geometries with a second axi-symmetric x-point and flux expansion region along the separatrix. Adjacent posters describe how these lead to spreading of heat flux and the possibility of stable, complete detachment to overcome serious physics and engineering problems in reactors. The principal feasibility issue is creating, with simple coils, additional X-points on the separatrix without extensively deforming the magnetic field in the main plasma. For the spherical tokamak NSTX, we show that adding one or two poloidal coils suffices to create a divergent flux at the divertor, i.e., a new x-point. The currents and forces for the extra coils are small. We also modify ARIES ST design to show reactor feasibility. Optimized coil designs for PEGASUS, ARIES RS/AT, and a modular ITER retrofit are also being developed. For our calculations we used self consistent code FBEQ, which was used to design NSTX. We also use NCSX tools for optimization of designs with competing physics and engineering constraints.

In many problems that require extensive searching, the solution can be described as satisfying two competing constraints, where satisfying each independently does not pose a challenge. As an alternative to tree-based and stochastic searching, for these problems we propose using an iterated map built from the projections to the two constraint sets. Algorithms of this kind have been the method of choice in a large variety of signal-processing applications; we show here that the scope of these algorithms is surprisingly broad, with applications as diverse as protein folding and Sudoku. PMID:17202267

This paper presents an iterative method for three-axis magnetometer (TAM) calibration that makes use of three existing utilities recently incorporated into the attitude ground support system used at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The method combines attitude-independent and attitude-dependent calibration algorithms with a new spinning spacecraft Kalman filter to solve for biases, scale factors, nonorthogonal corrections to the alignment, and the orthogonal sensor alignment. The method is particularly well-suited to spin-stabilized spacecraft, but may also be useful for three-axis stabilized missions given sufficient data to provide observability.

It is recognized that the ongoing effort to provide sufficient energy for the wellbeing of the globe's population and to power the world economy is of the greatest importance. ITER is a joint international research and development project that aims to demonstrate the scientific and technical feasibility of fusion power. It represents the responsible actions of governments whose countries comprise over half the world's population, to create fusion power as a source of clean, economic, carbon dioxide-free energy. This is the most important science initiative of our time.The partners in the Project--the ITER Parties--are the European Union, Japan, the People's Republic of China, India, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the USA. ITER will be constructed in Europe, at Cadarache in the South of France. The talk will illustrate the genesis of the ITER Organization, the ongoing work at the Cadarache site and the planned schedule for construction. There will also be an explanation of the unique aspects of international collaboration that have been developed for ITER.Although the present focus of the project is construction activities, ITER is also a major scientific and technological research program, for which the best of the world's intellectual resources is needed. Challenges for the young, imperative for fulfillment of the objective of ITER will be identified. It is important that young students and researchers worldwide recognize the rapid development of the project, and the fundamental issues that must be overcome in ITER.The talk will also cover the exciting career and fellowship opportunities for young people at the ITER Organization.

It is recognized that the ongoing effort to provide sufficient energy for the wellbeing of the globe's population and to power the world economy is of the greatest importance. ITER is a joint international research and development project that aims to demonstrate the scientific and technical feasibility of fusion power. It represents the responsible actions of governments whose countries comprise over half the world's population, to create fusion power as a source of clean, economic, carbon dioxide-free energy. This is the most important science initiative of our time. The partners in the Project—the ITER Parties—are the European Union, Japan, the People's Republic of China, India, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the USA. ITER will be constructed in Europe, at Cadarache in the South of France. The talk will illustrate the genesis of the ITER Organization, the ongoing work at the Cadarache site and the planned schedule for construction. There will also be an explanation of the unique aspects of international collaboration that have been developed for ITER. Although the present focus of the project is construction activities, ITER is also a major scientific and technological research program, for which the best of the world's intellectual resources is needed. Challenges for the young, imperative for fulfillment of the objective of ITER will be identified. It is important that young students and researchers worldwide recognize the rapid development of the project, and the fundamental issues that must be overcome in ITER. The talk will also cover the exciting career and fellowship opportunities for young people at the ITER Organization.

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor/Engineering Design Activity (ITER/EDA) is a joint project of the ITER Parties --- the European Union, Japan,the Russian Federation and the United States --- to carry out the engineering design of a reactor-scale DT-burning tokamak capable of producing 1-1.5 GW of fusion power with a burn duration of 1000 s or longer. The ITER Parties anticipate that ITER (R = 8.14 m, a = 2.80 m, B = 5.7 T, I = 21 MA) will be the definitive fusion research device for the period 2010-2030 and as such will be the principal facility for exploring the physics and technology testing issues of a reactor-scale plasma. To this end, ITER is designed with the dual objectives of being capable of conducting comprehensive physics studies of reactor-regime plasmas and of being able to reliably produce the fusion power level and burn duration needed for testing of reactor nuclear and plasma-facing-components at appreciable neutron fluence. The purpose of this talk is to present a discussion of the key physics issues associated with the physics design of ITER and to summarize how present understanding of these issues affects the corresponding projections of ITER performance and experimental capabilities. Emphasis will be on the effects of the plasma core performance-determining issues of energy confinement at low ρ^*, long-pulse beta-limit at low ν^* (non-ideal MHD effects) and particle and energy confinement and fueling/exhaust efficacy in high-density plasmas [n(10^20 m-3) >= I(MA)/π a(m)^2]. An overview of the anticipated ITER physics program and the wide-ranging opportunities that ITER will provide for scientific studies of reactor-scale plasmas and for obtaining the physics and technology data needed for design of a prototype power reactor will also be presented.

Three 1 MV/40A accelerators in heating neutral beams (HNB) are on track to be implemented in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). ITER may produce 500 MWt of power by 2026 and may serve as a green energy roadmap for the world. They will generate −1 MV 1 h long-pulse ion beams to be neutralised for plasma heating. Due to frequently occurring vacuum sparking in the accelerators, the snubbers are used to limit the fault arc current to improve ITER safety. However, recent analyses of its reference design have raised concerns. General nonlinear transformer theory is developed for the snubber to unify the former snubbers' different design models with a clear mechanism. Satisfactory agreement between theory and tests indicates that scaling up to a 1 MV voltage may be possible. These results confirm the nonlinear process behind transformer theory and map out a reliable snubber design for a safer ITER. PMID:24008267

GemC1, together with Idas and Geminin, an important regulator of DNA-replication licensing and differentiation decisions, constitute a superfamily sharing a homologous central coiled-coil domain. To better understand this family of proteins, the crystal structure of a GemC1 coiled-coil domain variant engineered for better solubility was determined to 2.2 Å resolution. GemC1 shows a less typical coiledcoil compared with the Geminin homodimer and the Geminin–Idas heterodimer structures. It is also shown that both in vitro and in cells GemC1 interacts with Geminin through its coiled-coil domain, forming a heterodimer that is more stable that the GemC1 homodimer. Comparative analysis of the thermal stability of all of the possible superfamily complexes, using circular dichroism to follow the unfolding of the entire helix of the coiledcoil, or intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence of a unique conserved N-terminal tryptophan, shows that the unfolding of the coiledcoil is likely to take place from the C-terminus towards the N-terminus. It is also shown that homodimers show a single-state unfolding, while heterodimers show a two-state unfolding, suggesting that the dimer first falls apart and the helices then unfold according to the stability of each protein. The findings argue that Geminin-family members form homodimers and heterodimers between them, and this ability is likely to be important for modulating their function in cycling and differentiating cells. PMID:26527144

Fast energy transients, incident on the DIII-D divertors due to Type-I edge localized modes (ELMs), are eliminated using small dc currents in a simple set of non-axisymmetric coils that produce edge resonant magnetic perturbations (RMP). In ITER similar shaped (ISS) plasmas, with electron pedestal collisionalities matched to those expected in ITER a sharp resonant window in the safety factor at the 95 percent normalized poloidal flux surface is observed for ELM suppression at q{sub 95}=3.57 with a minimum width {delta}q{sub 95} of {+-}0.05. The size of this resonant window has been increased by a factor of 4 in ISS plasmas by increasing the magnitude of the current in an n=3 coil set along with the current in a separate n=1 coil set. The resonant ELM-suppression window is highly reproducible for a given plasma shape, coil configuration and coil current but can vary with other operating conditions such as {beta}{sub N}. Isolated resonant windows have also been found at other q95 values when using different RMP coil configurations. For example, when the I-coil is operated in an n=3 up-down asymmetric configuration rather than an up-down symmetric configuration a resonant window is found near q{sub 95}=7.4. A Fourier analysis of the applied vacuum magnetic field demonstrates a statistical correlation between the Chirikov island overlap parameter and ELM suppression. These results have been used as a guide for RMP coil design studies in various ITER operating scenarios.

An inexpensive and programmable RF transmitter for two-coil continuous arterial spin labeling (CASL) system is presented in this paper. While previous implementations of two-coil CASL require the expensive MR RF instruments, the present design utilizes a low-cost system on chip direct digital synthesizer and a mini-size communication RF power amplifier to generate the labeling RF waveform without sacrificing RF performance. Compared with a single RF channel two-coil CASL approach, this design requires minimal scanner hardware modifications. Moreover, this design offers a programmable interface for easy sequence setup and debugging. Performance and ease of use are validated experimentally. PMID:19830266

Numerical electromagnetic field analyses of high Tc superconducting tape in coils were carried out to calculate the magnetic field generated by the shielding (magnetization) current in superconducting tape. The numerical model employs the power law electric field-current density characteristic and the thin strip approximation, in which the current component normal to the wide face of the tape is neglected. The shielding (magnetization) currents lead to non-uniform current distributions in the superconducting tape in the coils. The magnetic field generated by the shielding (magnetization) current can deteriorate the field quality and could be a concern in insert coils for NMR magnets using high Tc superconducting tape.

Of central importance in designing coaxial launcher systems is understanding the mechanical response and structural limits of the magnetic pulse coils. In normal operation the driving frequency can vary from static conditions through the lowest natural modes to well beyond the highest frequencies. By using a lumped parameter model the transient behavior of a magnetic pulse coil can be readily characterized. In an effort to understand the failure mechanism of coaxial pulse coils the results of this model are compared to the experimental performance of several thin build coils.

An automated method of manufacturing correction coils has been developed which provides a precise embodiment of the coil design. Numerically controlled machines have been developed to accurately position coil windings on the beam tube. Two types of machines have been built. One machine bonds the wire to a substrate which is wrapped around the beam tube after it is completed while the second machine bonds the wire directly to the beam tube. Both machines use the Multiwire{reg_sign} technique of bonding the wire to the substrate utilizing an ultrasonic stylus. These machines are being used to manufacture coils for both the SSC and RHIC.

An automated method of manufacturing correction coils has been developed which provides a precise embodiment of the coil design. Numerically controlled machines have been developed to accurately position coil windings on the beam tube. Two types of machines have been built. One machine bonds the wire to a substrate which is wrapped around the beam tube after it is completed while the second machine bonds the wire directly to the beam tube. Both machines use the Multiwire[reg sign] technique of bonding the wire to the substrate utilizing an ultrasonic stylus. These machines are being used to manufacture coils for both the SSC and RHIC.

Carbon nanotubes are promising building blocks for various nanoelectronic components. A highly desirable geometry for such applications is a coil. However, coiled nanotube structures reported so far were inherently defective or had no free ends accessible for contacting. Here we demonstrate the spontaneous self-coiling of single-wall carbon nanotubes into defect-free coils of up to more than 70 turns with identical diameter and chirality, and free ends. We characterize the structure, formation mechanism, and electrical properties of these coils by different microscopies, molecular dynamics simulations, Raman spectroscopy, and electrical and magnetic measurements. The coils are highly conductive, as expected for defect-free carbon nanotubes, but adjacent nanotube segments in the coil are more highly coupled than in regular bundles of single-wall carbon nanotubes, owing to their perfect crystal momentum matching, which enables tunneling between the turns. Although this behavior does not yet enable the performance of these nanotube coils as inductive devices, it does point a clear path for their realization. Hence, this study represents a major step toward the production of many different nanotube coil devices, including inductors, electromagnets, transformers, and dynamos. PMID:26708150

The operation mechanism of self-correction coil is extended with a simple model. For the ideal self-correction coil case, The self-inductance L of the self-correction coil is calculated. This calculation method is extended to a non-ideal self-correction coil case. For measure of completeness of self-correction coil is measured by the ratio of induced magnetic field by the self-correction coil and error field. Examples are L, M and N calculated for two cases; one is a single block approximation of self-correction coil winding and the other is a two block approximation case. By choosing the adequate angles of self-correction coil winding, one can get about 98% efficiency for single block approximation case and 99.8% for two block approximation case.

The Golgi complex is decorated with so-called Golgin proteins that share a common feature: a large proportion of their amino acid sequences are predicted to form coiled-coil structures. The possible presence of extensive coiledcoils implies that these proteins are highly elongated molecules that can extend a significant distance from the Golgi surface. This property would help them to capture or trap inbound transport vesicles and to tether Golgi mini-stacks together. This review will summarize our current understanding of coiledcoil tethers that are needed for the receipt of transport vesicles at the trans Golgi network (TGN). How do long tethering proteins actually catch vesicles? Golgi-associated, coiledcoil tethers contain numerous binding sites for small GTPases, SNARE proteins, and vesicle coat proteins. How are these interactions coordinated and are any or all of them important for the tethering process? Progress toward understanding these questions and remaining, unresolved mysteries will be discussed. PMID:27014693

Stimuli responsive controlled release from liposome based vesicles is a promising strategy for the site specific delivery of drugs. Herein, we report the design of pH sensitive coiledcoils and their incorporation into the liposome as triggers for the controlled release of encapsulated drugs. The designed coiledcoil peptides with the incorporation of environment sensitive fluorescent amino acids were found to be stable at physiological pH and unstructured while changing the pH of the environment to either acidic or basic. This pH dependent conformational switch of the coiled-coil polypeptides was exploited as triggers for the enhanced release of the encapsulated drug molecules from liposomes. The SEM, DLS and TEM analysis revealed the uniform morphology of the peptide liposome hybrid vesicles. Further, the drug encapsulated liposome internalization experiments with cancer cells revealed the enhanced release and accumulation of drugs in the acidic lysosomal compartments in comparison with liposomes without coiledcoils. PMID:26876788

The Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) [1]willdemonstrate ionization cooling in a short section of a realistic coolingchannel using a muon beam at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in theUK. The MICE RF and Coupling Coil (RFCC) Module consists of asuperconducting solenoid mounted around four normal conducting 201.25-MHzRF cavities. The coil package that surrounds the RF cavities is to bemounted in a 1.4 m diameter vacuum vessel. The coupling coil confines thebeam in the RFCC module within the radius of the RF cavity beam windows.Each coupling magnet will be powered by a 300 A, 10 V power supply. Themaximum design longitudinal force that will be carried by the cold masssupport system is 0.5 MN. The detailed design and analysis of thecoupling magnet has been completed by ICST. The primary magnetic andmechanical design features of the coils are presented in thispaper.

Obtaining three-dimensional (3D) protein and peptide crystals on demand requires a precisely orchestrated hierarchical assembly of biopolymer building blocks. In this work, we disclose a metal-ion-mediated strategy to assemble trimeric coiled-coil peptides in a head-to-tail fashion into linear strands with interstrand interactions. This design led to hexagonal 3D peptide crystal formation within 30 min in the presence of divalent metal ions. The crystal morphology could be controlled by varying the metal ion/peptide ratio, resulting in hexagonal discs to rods. Diffraction studies elucidated the head-to-tail arrangement of the coiled-coil linear strands and their hexagonal, antiparallel packing within the crystal. Unsatisfied ligands at the hexagonal ends of the crystals were harnessed as a powerful means to direct His-tagged fluorophores to distinct locations within the crystals. Overall, the designed hierarchical assembly provides a facile means to obtain 3D peptide crystals and incorporate His-tag-based cargoes and may have potential use in drug delivery and sensor design. PMID:27500907

Compact stellarator designs with modular coils and only two or three field periods are now available; these designs have both good stability and quasiaxial symmetry providing adequate transport for a magnetic fusion reactor. If the bootstrap current assumes theoretically predicted values a three field period configuration is optimal, but if that net current turns out to be lower, a device with two periods and just 12 modular coils might be better. There are also attractive designs with quasihelical symmetry and four or five periods whose properties depend less on the bootstrap current. Good performance requires that there be a satisfactory magnetic well in the vacuum field, which is a property lacking in a stellarator-tokamak hybrid that has been proposed for a proof of principle experiment. In this paper, we present an analysis of stability for these configurations that is based on a mountain pass theorem asserting that, if two solutions of the problem of magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium can be found, then there has to be an unstable solution. We compare results of our theory of equilibrium, stability, and transport with recently announced measurements from the large LHD experiment in Japan. PMID:10899993

Many studies have shown the importance of the ratio {upsilon}{sub He}/{upsilon}{sub E} in determining the level of He ash accumulation in future reactor systems. Results of the first tokamak He removal experiments have been analysed, and a first estimate of the ratio {upsilon}{sub He}/{upsilon}{sub E} to be expected for future reactor systems has been made. The experiments were carried out for neutral beam heated plasmas in the TEXTOR tokamak, at KFA/Julich. Helium was injected both as a short puff and continuously, and subsequently extracted with the Advanced Limiter Test-II pump limiter. The rate at which the He density decays has been determined with absolutely calibrated charge exchange spectroscopy, and compared with theoretical models, using the Multiple Impurity Species Transport (MIST) code. An analysis of energy confinement has been made with PPPL TRANSP code, to distinguish beam from thermal confinement, especially for low density cases. The ALT-II pump limiter system is found to exhaust the He with maximum exhaust efficiency (8 pumps) of {approximately}8%. We find 1ITER TETRA systems code shows that these values would be adequate to achieve the required He concentration with the present ITER divertor He extraction system.

Coiledcoils are abundant in nature, occurring in ∼3% of proteins across sequenced genomes, and are found in proteins ranging from transcription factors to structural proteins. The motif continues to be an important model system for understanding protein-protein interactions and is finding increased use in bioinspired materials and synthetic biology. Knowledge of the thermodynamics of self-assembly, particularly the dissociation constant KD, is essential for the application of designed coiledcoils and for understanding the in vivo specificity of natural coiledcoils. Standard methods for measuring KD typically rely on concentration dependent circular dichroism (CD). Fluorescence methods are an attractive alternative; however Trp is rarely found in an interior position of a coiledcoil, and appending unnatural fluorophores can perturb the system. We demonstrate a simple, non-perturbing method to monitor coiledcoil formation using p-cyanophenylalanine (FCN) and selenomethionine (MSe), the Se analogue of Met. FCN fluorescence can be selectively excited and is effectively quenched by electron transfer with MSe. Both FCN and MSe represent minimally perturbing substitutions in coiledcoils. MSe quenching of FCN fluorescence is shown to offer a non-perturbing method for following coiledcoil formation and for accurately determining dissociation constants. The method is validated using a designed heterodimeric coiledcoil. The KD deduced by fluorescence monitored titration is in excellent agreement with the value deduced from concentration dependent CD measurements to within the uncertainty of the measurement. However, the fluorescence approach requires less protein, is less time-consuming, can be applied to lower concentrations and could be applied to high throughput screens. PMID:27258904

The SSC Workshop on Distributed Multipole Correction Coils was held at Brookhaven National Laboratory on October 13 and 14, 1987. This Workshop was organized by the SSC Central Design Group, and its purpose was to discuss the present status of specifications, designs, and R&D plans for distributed, actively-powered multipole correction coils for the SSC. The Workshop was organized into four consecutive sessions to discuss the following topics: requirements for distributed correction coils, distributed connection coil designs, materials issues, and plans for future R&D. The following conclusions were drawn from the workshop: Accelerator physics considerations indicate that distributed multipole correction coils represent a feasible and flexible method to correct magnetic field errors in the SSC. Considerable progress has been made by Brookhaven National Laboratory in collaboration with industry to develop a possible fabrication technique for distributed correction coils. This technique consists of imbedding superconducting wire in a flexible plastic substrate. Its feasibility for the SSC still needs to be demonstrated. BNL has presented a preliminary plan for the necessary R&D. A successful technique has been developed to manufacture distributed correction coils for HERA. The coil performance is excellent. As yet, no plan has been proposed to study this type of correction coil for the SSC. The results from an experiment to study radiation damage to organic materials, although still preliminary, am providing guidance in selecting the most radiation resistant materials to use in correction coils. The test samples in this experiment were subjected to much larger radiation doses than expected at the SSC. Considerable information on radiation damage is available in the literature.

A proof-of-feasibility demonstration showed that high temperature superconductor (HTS) coils can be used in a high-load, active magnetic bearing in liquid nitrogen. A homopolar radial bearing with commercially wound HTS (Bi 2223) bias and control coils produced over 200 lb (890 N) radial load capacity (measured non-rotating) and supported a shaft to 14000 rpm. The goal was to show that HTS coils can operate stably with ferromagnetic cores in a feedback controlled system at a current density similar to that in Cu in liquid nitrogen. Design compromises permitted use of circular coils with rectangular cross section. Conductor improvements will eventually permit coil shape optimization, higher current density and higher bearing load capacity. The bias coil, wound with non-twisted, multifilament HTS conductor, required negligible power to carry its direct current. The control coils were wound with monofilament HTS sheathed in Ag. These dissipated negligible power for direct current (i.e. for steady radial load components). When an alternating current (AC) was added, the AC component dissipated power which increased rapidly with frequency and quadratically with AC amplitude. In fact at frequencies above about 2 hz, the effective resistance of the control coil conductor actually exceeds that of the silver which is in electrical parallel with the oxide superconductor. This is at least qualitatively understandable in the context of a Bean-type model of flux and current penetration into a Type II superconductor. Fortunately the dynamic currents required for bearing stability are of small amplitude. These results show that while twisted multifilament conductor is not needed for stable levitation, twisted multifilaments will be required to reduce control power for sizable dynamic loads, such as those due to unbalance.

Oxidation is an important biochemical defense mechanism, but it also elicits toxicity; therefore, oxidation must be under strict control. In phagocytotic events in neutrophils, the voltage-gated H+ (Hv) channel is a key regulator of the production of reactive oxygen species against invading bacteria. The cytoplasmic domain of the Hv channel forms a dimeric coiledcoil underpinning a dimerized functional unit. Importantly, in the alignment of the coiled-coil core, a conserved cysteine residue forms a potential intersubunit disulfide bond. In this study, we solved the crystal structures of the coiled-coil domain in reduced, oxidized, and mutated (Cys → Ser) states. The crystal structures indicate that a pair of Cys residues forms an intersubunit disulfide bond dependent on the redox conditions. CD spectroscopy revealed that the disulfide bond increases the thermal stability of the coiled-coil protein. We also reveal that two thiol modifier molecules are able to bind to Cys in a redox-dependent manner without disruption of the dimeric coiled-coil assembly. Thus, the biochemical properties of the cytoplasmic coiled-coil domain in the Hv channel depend on the redox condition, which may play a role in redox sensing in the phagosome. PMID:23667254

Variable packing interaction related to the conformational flexibility within the huntingtin-interacting protein 1 coiledcoil domain. Huntingtin-interacting protein 1 (HIP1) is an important link between the actin cytoskeleton and clathrin-mediated endocytosis machinery. HIP1 has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of Huntington’s disease. The binding of HIP1 to actin is regulated through an interaction with clathrin light chain. Clathrin light chain binds to a flexible coiled-coil domain in HIP1 and induces a compact state that is refractory to actin binding. To understand the mechanism of this conformational regulation, a high-resolution crystal structure of a stable fragment from the HIP1 coiled-coil domain was determined. The flexibility of the HIP1 coiled-coil region was evident from its variation from a previously determined structure of a similar region. A hydrogen-bond network and changes in coiled-coil monomer interaction suggest that the HIP1 coiled-coil domain is uniquely suited to allow conformational flexibility.

Whereas there is growing interest in producing biomaterials containing coiled-coils, relatively few studies have made use of naturally occurring fibrous proteins. In this study, we have characterized fibrous proteins used by mother praying mantises to produce an extensive covering for their eggs called an ootheca and demonstrate the production of artificial ootheca using recombinantly produced proteins. Examination of natural oothecae by infrared spectroscopy and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance revealed the material to consist of proteins organized predominately as coiled-coils. Two structural proteins, Mantis Fibroin 1 and Mantis Fibroin 2, were identified in ootheca from each of three species. Between species, the primary sequences of both proteins had diverged considerably, but other features were tightly conserved, including low molecular weight, high abundance of Ala, Glu, Lys, and Ser, and a triblock-like architecture with extensive central coiled-coil domain. Mantis fibroin hydrophobic cores had an unusual composition containing high levels of alanine and aromatic residues. Recombinantly produced mantis fibroins folded into coiled-coils in solution and could be fabricated into solid materials with high coiled-coil content. The structural features of mantis fibroins and their straightforward recombinant production make them promising templates for the production of coiled-coil biomimetics materials. PMID:23137042

The landslide is one of the most costly catastrophic events in terms of human lives and infrastructure damage, thus an early warning monitoring for landslides becomes more and more important. Currently existing monitoring systems for early warning are available in terms of monolithic systems. This is a very cost-intensive way, considering installation as well as operational and personal expenses. We have been developing a landslide detection system based on flat coil and coil sensor. The flat coil element being developed is an inductive proximity sensor for detection mass of soil movement. The simple method of flat coil manufactures and low cost, is an attraction that is still inspired to develop flat coil sensors. Meanwhile, although it has a drawback in terms of their size, the coil sensor is still required in many fields due to their sensitivity and robustness. The simple method of coil manufacture and the materials are commonly available and low cost, is an attraction that is still inspired to develop induction coil sensors. A comparative study of alternative configuration of sensor based on flat coil elements and a coil in application to landslide detection has been discussed in this paper. The purpose of this comparison is to show the ideal conditions and the challenges for each sensor. Furthermore, a comparison between flat coil and coil sensor is presented.

It is well known that the superconducting coil is the vital part of a superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) unit. This paper deals with the power controller design of a SMES unit with an optimal coil size for stabilization of an isolated microgrid. The study microgrid consists of renewable energy sources with intermittent power outputs i.e., wind and photovoltaic. Since power generations from such renewable sources are unpredictable and variable, these result in power fluctuations in a microgrid. To stabilize power fluctuations, a SMES unit with a fast control of active and reactive power can be applied. The structure of a power controller is the practical proportional-integral (PI). Based on the minimization of the variance of power fluctuations from renewable sources as well as the initial stored energy of SMES, the optimal PI parameters and coil size are automatically and simultaneously tuned by a particle swarm optimization. Simulation studies show that the proposed SMES controller with an optimal coil size is able to effectively alleviate power fluctuations under various power patterns from intermittent renewable sources.

An improved promoted-combustion system has been developed for studying the effects of elevated temperatures on the flammability of metals in pure oxygen. In prior promoted-combustion chambers, initial temperatures of metal specimens in experiments have been limited to the temperatures of gas supplies, usually near room temperature. Although limited elevated temperature promoted-combustion chambers have been developed using water-cooled induction coils for preheating specimens, these designs have been limited to low-pressure operation due to the hollow induction coil. In contrast, the improved promoted-combustion chamber can sustain a pressure up to 10 kpsi (69 MPa) and, through utilization of a solid induction coil, is capable of preheating a metal specimen up to its melting point [potentially in excess of 2,000 F (approximately equal to 1,100 C)]. Hence, the improved promoted combustion chamber makes a greater range of physical conditions and material properties accessible for experimentation. The chamber consists of a vertical cylindrical housing with an inner diameter of 8 in. (20.32 cm) and an inner height of 20.4 in. (51.81 cm). A threaded, sealing cover at one end of the housing can be unscrewed to gain access for installing a specimen. Inlet and outlet ports for gases are provided. Six openings arranged in a helical pattern in the chamber wall contain sealed sapphire windows for viewing an experiment in progress. The base of the chamber contains pressure-sealed electrical connectors for supplying power to the induction coil. The connectors feature a unique design that prevents induction heating of the housing and the pressure sealing surfaces; this is important because if such spurious induction heating were allowed to occur, chamber pressure could be lost. The induction coil is 10 in. (25.4 cm) long and is fitted with a specimen holder at its upper end. At its lower end, the induction coil is mounted on a ceramic base, which affords thermal insulation to

A proof-of-feasibility demonstration showed that high-T(sub c) superconductor (HTS) coils can be used in a high-load, active magnetic bearing in LN2. A homopolar radial bearing with commercially wound HTS (Bi 2223) bias and control coils produced over 890 N (200 lb) radial load capacity (measured non-rotatings) and supported a shaft to 14,000 rpm. The goal was to show that HTS coils can operate stably with ferromagnetic cores in a feedback controlled system at a current density similar to that for Cu in LN2. The bias coil, wound with non-twisted, multifilament HTS conductor, dissipated negligible power for its direct current. The control coils, wound with monofilament HTS sheathed in Ag, dissipated negligible power for direct current. AC losses increased rapidly with frequency and quadratically with AC amplitude. Above about 2 Hz, the effective resistance of the control coils exceeds that of the silver which is in electrical parallel with the oxide superconductor. These results show that twisted multifilament conductor is not needed for stable levitation but may be desired to reduce control power for sizable dynamic loads.

This paper proposes a novel radiative cooling system for a high temperature superconducting (HTS) coil for an attitude orbit control system in nano- and micro-spacecraft missions. These days, nano-spacecraft (1-10 kg) and micro-spacecraft (10-100 kg) provide space access to a broader range of spacecraft developers and attract interest as space development applications. In planetary and high earth orbits, most previous standard-size spacecraft used thrusters for their attitude and orbit control, which are not available for nano- and micro-spacecraft missions because of the strict power consumption, space, and weight constraints. This paper considers orbit and attitude control methods that use a superconducting coil, which interacts with on-orbit space plasmas and creates a propulsion force. Because these spacecraft cannot use an active cooling system for the superconducting coil because of their mass and power consumption constraints, this paper proposes the utilization of a passive radiative cooling system, in which the superconducting coil is thermally connected to the 3 K cosmic background radiation of deep space, insulated from the heat generation using magnetic holders, and shielded from the sun. With this proposed cooling system, the HTS coil is cooled to 60 K in interplanetary orbits. Because the system does not use refrigerators for its cooling system, the spacecraft can achieve an HTS coil with low power consumption, small mass, and low cost.

Background Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) are two categories of E. coli strains associated with human disease. A major virulence factor of both pathotypes is the expression of a type three secretion system (TTSS), responsible for their ability to adhere to gut mucosa causing a characteristic attaching and effacing lesion (A/E). The TTSS translocates effector proteins directly into the host cell that subvert mammalian cell biochemistry. Methods/Principal Findings We examined synthetic peptides designed to inhibit the TTSS. CoilA and CoilB peptides, both representing coiled-coil regions of the translocator protein EspA, and CoilD peptide, corresponding to a coiled–coil region of the needle protein EscF, were effective in inhibiting the TTSS dependent hemolysis of red blood cells by the EPEC E2348/69 strain. CoilA and CoilB peptides also reduced the formation of actin pedestals by the same strain in HEp-2 cells and impaired the TTSS-mediated protein translocation into the epithelial cell. Interestingly, CoilA and CoilB were able to block EspA assembly, destabilizing the TTSS and thereby Tir translocation. This blockage of EspA polymerization by CoilA or CoilB peptides, also inhibited the correct delivery of EspB and EspD as detected by immunoblotting. Interestingly, electron microscopy of bacteria incubated with the CoilA peptide showed a reduction of the length of EspA filaments. Conclusions Our data indicate that coiled-coil peptides can prevent the assembly and thus the functionality of the TTSS apparatus and suggest that these peptides could provide an attractive tool to block EPEC and EHEC pathogenesis. PMID:20140230

The pre-compression rings (PCRs) for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) represent one of the largest and most highly stressed composite structures ever designed for long term operation at 4K. Three rings, each 5m in diameter and 337 × 288 mm in cross-section, will be installed at the top and bottom of the eighteen "D" shaped Toroidal Field (TF) coils to apply a total centripetal load of 70 MN per TF coil. The interaction of the 68 kA conductor current circulating in the coil (for a total of 9.1MA) with the required magnetic field to confine the plasma during operation will result in Lorentz forces that build in-plane and out-of-plane loads. The PCRs are essential to keep the stresses below the acceptable level for the ITER magnets structural materials.

Modulo scheduling is a framework within which algorithms for software pipelining innermost loops may be defined. The framework specifies a set of constraints that must be met in order to achieve a legal modulo schedule. A wide variety of algorithms and heuristics can be defined within this framework. Little work has been done to evaluate and compare alternative algorithms and heuristics for modulo scheduling from the viewpoints of schedule quality as well as computational complexity. This, along with a vague and unfounded perception that modulo scheduling is computationally expensive as well as difficult to implement, have inhibited its corporation into product compilers. This paper presents iterative modulo scheduling, a practical algorithm that is capable of dealing with realistic machine models. The paper also characterizes the algorithm in terms of the quality of the generated schedules as well as the computational incurred.

The first and second field integrals in the LCLS undulators must be below a specified limit. To accurately measure the field integrals, a long coil system is used. This note describes a set of tests which were used to check the performance of the long coil system. A long coil system was constructed to measure the first and second field integrals of the LCLS undulators. The long coil measurements of the background fields were compared to field integrals obtained by sampling the background fields and numerically calculating the integrals. This test showed that the long coil has the sensitivity required to measure at the levels specified for the field integrals. Tests were also performed by making long coil measurements of short magnets of known strength placed at various positions The long coil measurements agreed with the known field integrals obtained by independent measurements and calculation. Our tests showed that the long coil measurements are a valid way to determine whether the LCLS undulator field integrals are below the specified limits.

In this note we synthesize and extend expressions for the magnetic field at the center of very short and very long current-carrying coils. Elementary physics textbooks present the following equation for the magnetic field inside a very long current-carrying coil (solenoid): B[subscript sol] = µ[subscript 0] (N/L) I, (1) where I is the current, N…

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) shows potential for non-invasive treatment of various neurological disorders. Significant work has been performed on the design of coils used for TMS on human subjects but few reports have been made on the design of coils for use on the brains of animals such as mice. This work is needed as TMS studies utilizing mice can allow rapid preclinical development of TMS for human disorders but the coil designs developed for use on humans are inadequate for optimal stimulation of the much smaller mouse brain. A novel TMS coil has been developed with the goal of inducing strong and focused electric fields for the stimulation of small animals such as mice. Calculations of induced electric fields were performed utilizing an MRI derived inhomogeneous model of an adult male mouse. Mechanical and thermal analysis of this new TMS helmet-coil design have also been performed at anticipated TMS operating conditions to ensure mechanical stability of the new coil and establish expected linear attraction and rotational force values. Calculated temperature increases for typical stimulation periods indicate the helmet-coil system is capable of operating within established medical standards. A prototype of the coil has been fabricated and characterization results are presented.

We study the impact of coil orientation on the motor threshold (MT) and present an optimal coil orientation for stimulation of the foot. The result can be compared to results of models that predict this orientation from electrodynamic properties of the media in the skull and from orientations of cells, respectively. We used a robotized TMS system for precise coil placement and recorded motor-evoked potentials with surface electrodes on the abductor hallucis muscle of the right foot in 8 healthy control subjects. First, we performed a hot-spot search in standard (lateral) orientation and then rotated the coil in steps of 10° or 20°. At each step we estimated the MT. For navigated stimulation and for correlation with the underlying anatomy a structural MRI scan was obtained. Optimal coil orientation was 33.1±18.3° anteriorly in relation to the standard lateral orientation. In this orientation the threshold was 54±18% in units of maximum stimulator output. There was a significant difference of 8.0±5.9% between the MTs at optimal and at standard orientation. The optimal coil orientations were significantly correlated with the direction perpendicular to the postcentral gyrus (). Robotized TMS facilitates sufficiently precise coil positioning and orientation to study even small variations of the MT with coil orientation. The deviations from standard orientation are more closely matched by models based on field propagation in media than by models based on orientations of pyramidal cells. PMID:23593200

A superconducting poloidal field model coil as needed for tokamaks has been constructed by GEC Alsthom within the Polo project in effective collaboration with Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Institut fuer Technische Physik, Germany. The manufacturing procedures for the coil and its terminals are described.

The readiness of the Data Acquisition and Control System (DACS) to provide monitoring and control of the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) abort coils from the Master and RSS stations will be systematically tested during performance of this procedure. It should be noted that these are not physical abort coils but software coils controlled by the software`s ladder logic. The readiness of the DACS to properly interface with the ENRAF wire level gauge installed in the SY-101 storage tank will also be tested. During this test, a verification of all abort coil indications will be conducted at the DACS Development Facility in the 306E Building by injecting an input signal for each DACS sensor that has an associated abort coil until the abort coil actuates, and then ensuring that the status of the abort coil indicated at the Master and RSS stations is correct. Each abort coil will also be tested to ensure that the ``ENABLE`` and ``DISABLE`` controls from the Master and RSS stations function correctly, and only with the use of proper passwords.

The readiness of the Data Acquisition and Control System (DACS) to provide monitoring and control of the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) abort coils from the Master and RSS stations will be systematically tested during performance of this procedure. It should be noted that these are not physical abort coils but software coils controlled by the software`s ladder logic. The readiness of the DACS to properly interface with the ENRAF wire level gauge installed in the SY101 storage tank will also be tested. During this test, a verification of all abort coil indications will be conducted at the DACS Development Facility in the 306E Building by injecting an input signal for each DACS sensor that has an associated abort coil until the abort coil actuates, and then ensuring that the status of the abort coil indicated at the Master and RSS stations correct. Each abort coil will also be tested to ensure that the ``ENABLE`` and ``DISABLE`` controls from the Master and RSS stations function correctly, and only with the use of proper passwords.

The present invention generates stellarator fields having favorable properties (magnetic well and large rotational transform) by a simple coil system consisting only of unlinked planar non-circular coils. At large rotational transform toroidal effects on magnetic well and rotational transform are small and can be ignored. We do so herein, specializing in straight helical systems.

Theoretical and experimental results are presented that establish the value of parallel excitation with a transmit coil array in accelerating excitation and managing RF power deposition. While a 2D or 3D excitation pulse can be used to induce a multidimensional transverse magnetization pattern for a variety of applications (e.g., a 2D localized pattern for accelerating spatial encoding during signal acquisition), it often involves the use of prolonged RF and gradient pulses. Given a parallel system that is composed of multiple transmit coils with corresponding RF pulse synthesizers and amplifiers, the results suggest that by exploiting the localization characteristics of the coils, an orchestrated play of shorter RF pulses can achieve desired excitation profiles faster without adding strains to gradients. A closed-form design for accelerated multidimensional excitations is described for the small-tip-angle regime, and its suppression of interfering aliasing lobes from coarse excitation k-space sampling is interpreted based on an analogy to sensitivity encoding (SENSE). With or without acceleration, the results also suggest that by taking advantage of the extra degrees of freedom inherent in a parallel system, parallel excitation provides better management of RF power deposition while facilitating the faithful production of desired excitation profiles. Sample accelerated and specific absorption rate (SAR)-reduced excitation pulses were designed in this study, and evaluated in experiments. PMID:15065251

This invention is a series of rod-coil block polyimide copolymers that are easy to fabricate into mechanically resilient films with acceptable ionic or protonic conductivity at a variety of temperatures. The copolymers consist of short-rigid polyimide rod segments alternating with polyether coil segments. The rods and coil segments can be linear, branched or mixtures of linear and branched segments. The highly incompatible rods and coil segments phase separate, providing nanoscale channels for ion conduction. The polyimide segments provide dimensional and mechanical stability and can be functionalized in a number of ways to provide specialized functions for a given application. These rod-coil black polyimide copolymers are particularly useful in the preparation of ion conductive membranes for use in the manufacture of fuel cells and lithium based polymer batteries.

Test results from the MIT 12 Tesla Coil experiment are presented. The coil was tested in the High Field Test Facility (HFTF) of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in October 1984 and January 1985. The experiment measured the performance of an Internally Cooled, Cabled Superconductor (ICCS) of practical size, intended for use in magnetic fusion experiments. The MIT coil carried 15 kA at 11 T for 5 min with no sign of instability. A half turn length in a 10 T field was able to absorb a heat load in 4 msec of more than 200 mJ sub cm of cable volume while carrying a current of 12 kA. The MIT coil successfully met the performance requirements of the Department of Energy's 12 Tesla Coil Program.

Peptide helices in solution form a complex mixture of all helix, all coil or, most frequently, central helices with frayed coil ends. In order to interpret experiments on helical peptides and make theoretical predictions on helices, it is therefore essential to use a helix-coil theory that takes account of this equilibrium. The original Zimm-Bragg and Lifson-Roig helix-coil theories have been greatly extended in the last 10 years to include additional interactions. These include preferences for the N-cap, N1, N2, N3 and C-cap positions, capping motifs, helix dipoles, side chain interactions and 3(10)-helix formation. These have been applied to determine energies for these preferences from experimental data and to predict the helix contents of peptides. This review discusses these newly recognised structural features of helices and how they have been included in helix-coil models. PMID:12488008

A local coil assembly for use in NMR imaging is described which comprises: a base; a first local coil module mounted to the base and extending upward therefrom; sockets disposed in the base, each at a different distance from the first local coil module; a second local coil module having a connector therein which mates with each of the sockets to enable the second local coil module to be connected to the base at any one of the sockets; and a set of reactive components. The values of the respective reactive components are selected such that the second local oil module may be connected to any of the sockets without any substantial change in the resonant frequency of the assembly.

In this paper, we establish a model to analyze the transport current performance of a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coil, considering the dependencies of critical current and n-value of an HTS tape on magnetic field and magnetic field angles. This analysis shows that relatively large electric fields appear at the coil’s edges, preventing improvement in the transport current performance of the coil. To solve this problem, in this paper, we propose a graded coil in which several coil edges of different heights are separated and graded. Analysis of its performance shows that the coil’s critical current increases, thus confirming that there exists an optimum coil cross section at which the stored energy and central magnetic field improve 2.1 times and 45%, respectively, compared with a typical rectangular coil that employs the same total length of the HTS tape. It is recommended that these results of the coil should be applied to SMES.

The effects of liquid flow rate, coil diameter, pseudo plasticity of the liquids on the frictional pressure drop for the flow through helical coils have been reported through experimental investigation. Numerical modeling is carried using Fluent 6.3 software to find its applicability in the flow system. The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are carried out using laminar non-Newtonian pseudo plastic power law model for laminar flow and k-ɛ model for turbulent flow for water. Water and dilute solution of Sodium Carboxy Methyl Cellulose (SCMC) as a non-Newtonian pseudo plastic fluid used for the study. Both hexahedral and tetrahedral grids are used for this simulation. The CFD results show the very good agreement with the experimental values. The comparison of the non-Newtonian liquid flow and water are also reported.

Results of an investigation of the performance of electromagnetic linear actuators at temperatures as low as 2 K are presented. The coil assembly is 1 cm long and 2 cm in diameter and consists of either NbTi superconductor wire or annealed ultrahigh purity copper wire wound on either 6061-T6 aluminum or G-10 bases. The temperature dependence of the dc force per unit current is described, and room, liquid nitrogen, and liquid helium temperature measurements of ac power dissipation and damping are presented. The present 4 K measurements show that the use of either superconducting NbTi wire or vanadium permendur steel reduces the energy efficiency of voice coils operating in an AC mode at liquid helium temperatures.

We have presented the design methodology along with detailed simulation and measurement results for optimizing a multiband transcutaneous wireless link for high-performance implantable neuroprosthetic devices. We have utilized three individual carrier signals and coil/antenna pairs for power transmission, forward data transmission from outside into the body, and back telemetry in the opposite direction. Power is transmitted at 13.56 MHz through a pair of printed spiral coils (PSCs) facing each other. Two different designs have been evaluated for forward data coils, both of which help to minimize power carrier interference in the received data carrier. One is a pair of perpendicular coils that are wound across the diameter of the power PSCs. The other design is a pair of planar figure-8 coils that are in the same plane as the power PSCs. We have compared the robustness of each design against horizontal misalignments and rotations in different directions. Simulation and measurements are also conducted on a miniature spiral antenna, designed to operate with impulse-radio ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) circuitry for back telemetry. PMID:21918679

The toroidal phase of non-rotating (``locked'') neoclassical tearing modes was controlled in several devices by means of applied magnetic perturbations. Evidence is presented from various tokamaks (ASDEX Upgrade, DIII-D, JET, J-TEXT, KSTAR), spherical tori (MAST, NSTX) and a reversed field pinch (EXTRAP-T2R). Furthermore, the phase of interchange modes was controlled in the LHD helical device. These results share a common interpretation in terms of torques acting on the mode. Based on this interpretation, it is predicted that control-coil currents will be sufficient to control the phase of locking in ITER. This will be possible both with the internal coils and with the external error-field-correction coils, and might have promising consequences for disruption avoidance (by aiding the electron cyclotron current drive stabilization of locked modes), as well as for spatially distributing heat loads during disruptions. This work was supported in part by the US Department of Energy under DE-SC0008520, DE-FC-02-04ER54698 and DE-AC02-09CH11466.

The JT-60SA device has been designed as a highly shaped large superconducting tokamak with a variety of plasma actuators (heating, current drive, momentum input, stability control coils, resonant magnetic perturbation coils, W-shaped divertor, fuelling, pumping, etc) in order to satisfy the central research needs for ITER and DEMO. In the ITER- and DEMO-relevant plasma parameter regimes and with DEMO-equivalent plasma shapes, JT-60SA quantifies the operation limits, plasma responses and operational margins in terms of MHD stability, plasma transport and confinement, high-energy particle behaviour, pedestal structures, scrape-off layer and divertor characteristics. By integrating advanced studies in these research fields, the project proceeds 'simultaneous and steady-state sustainment of the key performances required for DEMO' with integrated control scenario development applicable to the highly self-regulating burning high-β high bootstrap current fraction plasmas.

In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), rapidly changing gradient fields are applied to encode the magnetic resonance signal with spatial position; however eddy currents are induced in the surrounding conducting structures depending on the geometry of the conductor and the excitation waveform. These alternating fields change the spatial profile of the current density within the coil track with the applied frequencies of the input waveform and by their proximity to other conductors. In this paper, the impact of the conductor width and the excited frequency over the parameters that characterise the performance of split transverse and longitudinal gradient coils are studied. Thirty x-gradient coils were designed using a “free-surface” coil design method and the track width was varied from 1 mm to 30 mm with an increment value of 1 mm; a frequency sweep analysis in the range of 100 Hz to 10 kHz was performed using the multi-layer integral method (MIM) and parameters such as power loss produced by the coil and generated in the cryostat, inductance, coil efficiency (field strength/operating current), magnetic field profile produced by the coil and the eddy currents were studied. An experimental validation of the theoretical model was performed on an example coil. Coils with filamentary conductor segments were also studied to compare the simulated parameters with those produced by coils with a finite track. There was found to be a significant difference between the parameters calculated using filamentary coils and those obtained when the coil is simulated using finite size tracks. A wider track width produces coil with superior efficiency and low resistance; however, due to the skin effect, the power loss increases faster in wider tracks than in those generated in coils with narrow tracks. It was demonstrated that rapidly changing current paths must be avoided in order to mitigate the power loss and the spatial asymmetry in the current density profile. The decision of

An experimental setup for characterizing the magnetic field of MRI RF coils was proposed and tested. The setup consisted of a specially configured 3D-printer, a network analyzer and a mid-performance desktop PC. The setup was tested on a single loop RF coil, part of a phased array for fetal imaging. Then, the setup was used for determining the magnetic field characteristics of a high-pass birdcage coil used for neonatal MR imaging with a vertical static field. The scattering parameter S21, converted into power ratio, was used for mapping the B1 magnetic field. The experimental measurements from the loop coil were close to the theoretical results (R = 0.924). A high degree of homogeneity was measured for the neonatal birdcage RF coil. The development of MR RF coils is time consuming and resource intensive. The proposed experimental setup provides an alternative method for magnetic field characterization of RF coils used in MRI.

An experimental setup for characterizing the magnetic field of MRI RF coils was proposed and tested. The setup consisted of a specially configured 3D-printer, a network analyzer and a mid-performance desktop PC. The setup was tested on a single loop RF coil, part of a phased array for fetal imaging. Then, the setup was used for determining the magnetic field characteristics of a high-pass birdcage coil used for neonatal MR imaging with a vertical static field. The scattering parameter S21, converted into power ratio, was used for mapping the B1 magnetic field. The experimental measurements from the loop coil were close to the theoretical results (R=0.924). A high degree of homogeneity was measured for the neonatal birdcage RF coil. The development of MR RF coils is time consuming and resource intensive. The proposed experimental setup provides an alternative method for magnetic field characterization of RF coils used in MRI. PMID:27310429

Predictive simulations of ITER [R. Aymar et al., Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 44, 519 2002] discharges are carried out for the 15 MA high confinement mode (H-mode) scenario using PTRANSP, the predictive version of the TRANSP code. The thermal and toroidal momentum transport equations are evolved using turbulent and neoclassical transport models. A predictive model is used to compute the temperature and width of the H-mode pedestal. The ITER simulations are carried out for neutral beam injection (NBI) heated plasmas, for ion cyclotron resonant frequency (ICRF) heated plasmas, and for plasmas heated with a mix of NBI and ICRF. It is shown that neutral beam injection drives toroidal rotation that improves the confinement and fusion power production in ITER. The scaling of fusion power with respect to the input power and to the pedestal temperature is studied. It is observed that, in simulations carried out using the momentum transport diffusivity computed using the GLF23 model [R.Waltz et al., Phys. Plasmas 4, 2482 (1997)], the fusion power increases with increasing injected beam power and central rotation frequency. It is found that the ITER target fusion power of 500 MW is produced with 20 MW of NBI power when the pedesta temperature is 3.5 keV. 2008 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.2931037

Research Highlights: > Efficient and robust mid-range wireless energy transfer between two coils. > The adiabatic energy transfer is analogous to adiabatic passage in quantum optics. > Wireless energy transfer is insensitive to any resonant constraints. > Wireless energy transfer is insensitive to noise in the neighborhood of the coils. - Abstract: We propose a technique for efficient mid-range wireless power transfer between two coils, by adapting the process of adiabatic passage for a coherently driven two-state quantum system to the realm of wireless energy transfer. The proposed technique is shown to be robust to noise, resonant constraints, and other interferences that exist in the neighborhood of the coils.

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Design Team may use coil current densities as high as 40 A{center dot}mm{sup -2} and peak magnetic fields of 12--15 T to size superconducting coils in a tokamak reactor design. To verify that these values are within the present superconducting magnet technology state-of-the-art, we are building a Proof of Principles (PoP) test coil. The PoP will be inserted into the bore of an existing High-Field Test Facility Solenoid magnet at LLNL. The PoP insert will be a solenoid coil with approximate dimensions of: 1-m, outside diameter; 0.5-m, inside diameter; about 0.5-m, height. The overall coil fabrication will use the insulate-wind-react-impregnate method. The quartz-cloth-tape insulation material will be wrapped onto the conductor as part of the coil-winding process. The coil will be layer-wound using cable-in-conduit conductor (CICC) with all splices and connections located at the coil ends. The Ti-modified, internal-tin process, MF-Nb{sub 3}Sn technique will be used to produce the superconducting composite wire for the CICC. After reaction, the epoxy component of the insulation system will be added by vacuum impregnation. We describe details of the coil design and analysis and relate them to needs within the engineering data base supporting the design of magnet systems for ITER. 5 refs., 8 figs., 1 tab.

Advanced DIII-D RMP coils with improved capabilities are studied using a vacuum island overlap width (VIOW) criterion. Changes in characteristics of the RMP field produced by different geometrical parameters using both ex-vessel (C- and O-) and in-vessel (I- and CP-) coils are discussed. By reducing the poloidal span of each coil, the spacing between them and varying the geometric angle between the coils and the plasma, the resonant field can be adjusted to optimize the edge VIOW criterion while minimizing core resonances. Three separate phase scans using a combination of the as built I-coils and proposed CP-coils are compared for three different equilibria. Two of these equilibria have different edge safety factors and the third one has a different gap between plasma and wall than the standard equilibrium scenario of DIII D. The scan results show that the VIOW correlation criterion is well satisfied in all three cases, resulting in a new way to optimize the RMP coils for the future reactors in order to achieve the ELM suppression criterion over a significantly wider range of fusion plasma operating scenarios. Work supported by the U.S. DOE under DE-FG02-05ER54809 and DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Depolarized Interferometric Fiber Optic Gyroscopes (D-IFOGs) that are constructed with inexpensive single mode (SM) fiber have provided an opportunity for developers to meet Army emerging missions goals for affordable, small volume, reliable inertial guidance systems for use in small missiles, munitions, and future micro-unmanned autonomous vehicles. However, there remain several vital issues associated with substantially reducing the diameter of the sensor coil. Optical fiber that is precision-wound onto a micro coil experiences increased stress due to small radius bending, fiber distortions at crossover sites, and increased interlayer pressures as a result of multiple layers of fiber wound under tension. Tension and small radius bending stresses can have a detrimental effect on the performance of D-IFOGs. Therefore, other scenarios for the application of SM fiber to a micro-sensor coil must be considered. One scheme involves taking advantage of the bending-induced birefringence and employing the low cost SM fiber as a polarization-maintaining (PM) fiber. The mechanics of how a substantial reduction in the coil radius produces PM fiber properties in SM fiber is investigated under this research effort. Conventional and specialty SM fibers are characterized to identify optimal fibers for the development of micro-sensor coils. The results from extinction ratio measurements on the SM fibers and micro-sensor coils are presented in this paper. The significant cross coupling suggests that scattering centers are present in very small radius bending. Also, measurements show that optical loss is significant in micro IFOG coils.

Purpose This paper develops a method to obtain optimal estimates of absolute magnetization phase from multiple-coil MRI data. Methods The element-specific phases of a multi-element receiver coil array are accounted for by using the phase of a real or virtual reference coil that is sensitive over the entire imaged volume. The virtual-reference coil is generated as a weighted combination of measurements from all receiver coils. The phase-corrected multiple coil complex images are combined using the inverse covariance matrix. These methods are tested on images of an agar phantom, an in vivo breast, and an anesthetized rabbit obtained using combinations of four, nine, and three receiver channels, respectively. Results The four- and three- channel acquisitions require formation of a virtual-reference receiver coil while one channel of the nine-channel receive array has a sensitivity profile covering the entire imaged volume. Referencing to a real or virtual coil gives receiver phases that are essentially identical except for the individual receiver channel noise. The resulting combined images, which account for receiver channel noise covariance, show the expected reduction in phase variance. Conclusions The proposed virtual reference coil method determines a phase distribution for each coil from which an optimal phase map can be obtained. PMID:24006172

Liprins are a conserved family of scaffolding proteins important for the proper regulation and development of neuronal synapses. Humans have four liprin-{alpha}s and two liprin-{beta}s which all contain long coiled-coil domains followed by three tandem SAM domains. Complex interactions between the coiled-coil and SAM domains are thought to create liprin scaffolds, but the structural and biochemical properties of these domains remain largely uncharacterized. In this study we find that the human liprin-{beta}2 coiled-coil forms an extended dimer. Several protease-resistant subdomains within the liprin-{beta}1 and liprin-{beta}2 coiled-coils were also identified. A 2.0 {angstrom} crystal structure of the central, protease-resistant core of the liprin-{beta}2 coiled-coil reveals a parallel helix orientation. These studies represent an initial step toward determining the overall architecture of liprin scaffolds and understanding the molecular basis for their synaptic functions.

The small GTPase Rho and one of its targets, Rho-associated kinase (ROCK), participate in a variety of actin-based cellular processes including smooth muscle contraction, cell migration, and stress fiber formation. The ROCK protein consists of an N-terminal kinase domain, a central coiled-coil domain containing a Rho binding site, and a C-terminal pleckstrin homology domain. Here we present the crystal structure of a large section of the central coiled-coil domain of human ROCK I (amino acids 535–700). The structure forms a parallel α-helical coiled-coil dimer that is structurally similar to tropomyosin, an actin filament binding protein. There is an unusual discontinuity in the coiled-coil; three charged residues (E613, R617 and D620) are positioned at what is normally the hydrophobic core of coiled-coil packing. We speculate that this conserved irregularity could function as a hinge that allows ROCK to adopt its autoinhibited conformation. PMID:21445309

The versatile coiled-coil protein motif is widely used to induce and control macromolecular interactions in biology and materials science. Yet the types of interaction patterns that can be constructed using known coiledcoils are limited. Here we greatly expand the coiled-coil toolkit by measuring the complete pairwise interactions of 48 synthetic coiledcoils and 7 human bZIP coiledcoils using peptide microarrays. The resulting 55-member protein 'interactome' includes 27 pairs of interacting peptides that preferentially heteroassociate. The 27 pairs can be used in combinations to assemble sets of 3 to 6 proteins that compose networks of varying topologies. Of special interest are heterospecific peptide pairs that participate in mutually orthogonal interactions. Such pairs provide the opportunity to dimerize two separate molecular systems without undesired crosstalk. Solution and structural characterization of two such sets of orthogonal heterodimers provide details of their interaction geometries. The orthogonal pair, along with the many other network motifs discovered in our screen, provide new capabilities for synthetic biology and other applications.

The ITER Diagnostic Division is responsible for designing and procuring the First Wall Blankets that are mounted on the vacuum vessel port plugs at both the upper and equatorial levels This paper will discuss the effects of the diagnostic aperture shape and configuration on the coolant circuit design. The DFW design is driven in large part by the need to conform the coolant arrangement to a wide variety of diagnostic apertures combined with the more severe heating conditions at the surface facing the plasma, the first wall. At the first wall, a radiant heat flux of 35W/cm2 combines with approximate peak volumetric heating rates of 8W/cm3 (equatorial ports) and 5W/cm3 (upper ports). Here at the FW, a fast thermal response is desirable and leads to a thin element between the heat flux and coolant. This requirement is opposed by the wish for a thicker FW element to accommodate surface erosion and other off-normal plasma events.

Fast magnetosonic waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) can convert to much shorter wavelength modes such as ion Bernstein waves (IBW) and ion cyclotron waves (ICW) [1]. These modes are potentially useful for plasma control through the generation of localized currents and sheared flows. As part of the SciDAC Center for Simulation of Wave-Plasma Interactions project, the AORSA global-wave solver [2] has been ported to the new, dual-core Cray XT-3 (Jaguar) at ORNL where it demonstrates excellent scaling with the number of processors. Preliminary calculations using 4096 processors have allowed the first full-wave simulations of mode conversion in ITER. Mode conversion from the fast wave to the ICW is observed in mixtures of deuterium, tritium and helium3 at 53 MHz. The resulting flow velocity and electric field shear will be calculated. [1] F.W. Perkins, Nucl. Fusion 17, 1197 (1977). [2] E.F. Jaeger, L.A. Berry, J.R. Myra, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 195001-1 (2003).

High field superconducting magnets need strong non-superconducting components for structural reinforcement. For instance, the ITER magnet system (MS) consists of cable-in-conduit conductor, coil case, magnet support, and insulating materials. Investigation of mechanical properties at magnet operation temperature with specimens machined at the final manufacturing stages of the conductor jacket materials, magnet support material, and insulating materials, even the component of the full-size conductor jacket is necessary to establish sound databases for the products. In China, almost all mechanical property tests of structural materials for the ITER MS, including conductor jacket materials of TF coils, PF coils, CCs, case material of CCs, conductor jacket materials of Main Busbars (MB) and Corrector Busbars (CB), material of magnet supports, and insulating materials of CCs have been carried out at the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry (TIPC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). In this paper, the mechanical property test facilities are briefly demonstrated and the mechanical tests on the structural materials for the ITER MS, highlighting test rigs as well as test methods, are presented.

To assess the comparative efficiency, safety, and cost of maintenance dialysis, the treatment of 13 patients with a Kiil dialyser (representing 1,477 hospital and 735 home dialyses) was compared with that of 11 patients using a coil dialyser (898 hospital and 396 home dialyses). Kiil and coil dialysers proved equally satisfactory from a medical standpoint and equally acceptable to the patients. The capital costs of home dialysis were considerably reduced without any threat to safety or efficiency. The running costs of coil dialysers approximate to those of Kiil dialysers. ImagesFig. 3 PMID:4320676

We present a new technique to denoise ghost imaging (GI) in which conventional intensity correlation GI and an iteration process have been combined to give an accurate estimate of the actual noise affecting image quality. The blurring influence of the speckle areas in the beam is reduced in the iteration by setting a threshold. It is shown that with an appropriate choice of threshold value, the quality of the iterative GI reconstructed image is much better than that of differential GI for the same number of measurements. This denoising method thus offers a very effective approach to promote the implementation of GI in real applications. PMID:25322001

ITER's Ion Cyclotron Range of Frequencies (ICRF) system [1] comprises two antenna launchers designed by CYCLE (a consortium of European associations listed in the author affiliations above) on behalf F4E for the ITER Organisation (IO), each inserted as a Port Plug (PP) into one of ITER's Vacuum Vessel (VV) ports. Each launcher is an array of 4 toroidal by 6 poloidal RF current straps specified to couple up to 20 MW in total to the plasma in the frequency range of 40 to 55 MHz but limited to a maximum system voltage of 45 kV and limits on RF electric fields depending on their location and direction with respect to respectively the torus vacuum and the toroidal magnetic field. A crucial aspect of coupling ICRF power to plasmas is the knowledge of the plasma density profiles in the Scrape-Off Layer (SOL) and the location of the RF current straps with respect to the SOL. The launcher layout and details were optimized and its performance estimated for a worst case SOL provided by the IO. The paper summarizes the estimated performance obtained within the operational parameter space specified by IO. Aspects of the RF grounding of the whole antenna PP to the VV port and the effect of the voids between the PP and the Blanket Shielding Modules (BSM) surrounding the antenna front are discussed.

This suite of codes simulates the transient output pulse from an optically-pumped coiled fiber amplifier. The input pulse is assumed to have a Gaussian time dependence and a spatial dependence that may be Gaussian or an eigenmode of the straight of bent fiber computed using bend10 or bend20. Only one field component is used (semivectorial approximation). The fully-spatially-dependent fiber gain profile is specified is subroutines "inversion" and "interp_inversion" and is presently read from a datamore » file, although other means of specifying fiber gain could be reallized through modification of these subroutines. The input pulse is propagated through the fiber, including the following physical effects: spatial and temporal gain saturation, self-focusing, bend losses, and confinement from a user-defined fiber index profile. The user can follow the propagation progress with 3D graphics that show an intensity profile via user-modifiable cutting planes through the time space axes. A restart capability is also included. Approximate solutions in the frequency domain may be obtained much faster using the auxilliary codes bendbpm10 (full vector), bendbpm20 (semivectoral), and bendbpm21 (semivectoral with gain sheet spproximation for gain and self-focusing). These codes all include bend loss and spatial (but not temporal) gain saturation.« less

A model has been developed in Matlab environment for the thermal hydraulic analysis of helical coil and shell steam generators. The model considers the internal flow inside one helix and its associated control volume of water on the external side, both characterized by their inlet thermodynamic conditions and the characteristic geometry data. The model evaluates the behaviour of the thermal-hydraulic parameters of the two fluids, such as temperature, pressure, heat transfer coefficients, flow quality, void fraction and heat flux. The evaluation of the heat transfer coefficients as well as the pressure drops has been performed by means of the most validated literature correlations. The model has been applied to one of the steam generators of the IRIS modular reactor and a comparison has been performed with the RELAP5/Mod.3.3 code applied to an inclined straight pipe that has the same length and the same elevation change between inlet and outlet of the real helix. The predictions of the developed model and RELAP5/Mod.3.3 code are in fairly good agreement before the dryout region, while the dryout front inside the helical pipes is predicted at a lower distance from inlet by the model.

This suite of codes simulates the transient output pulse from an optically-pumped coiled fiber amplifier. The input pulse is assumed to have a Gaussian time dependence and a spatial dependence that may be Gaussian or an eigenmode of the straight of bent fiber computed using bend10 or bend20. Only one field component is used (semivectorial approximation). The fully-spatially-dependent fiber gain profile is specified is subroutines "inversion" and "interp_inversion" and is presently read from a data file, although other means of specifying fiber gain could be reallized through modification of these subroutines. The input pulse is propagated through the fiber, including the following physical effects: spatial and temporal gain saturation, self-focusing, bend losses, and confinement from a user-defined fiber index profile. The user can follow the propagation progress with 3D graphics that show an intensity profile via user-modifiable cutting planes through the time space axes. A restart capability is also included. Approximate solutions in the frequency domain may be obtained much faster using the auxilliary codes bendbpm10 (full vector), bendbpm20 (semivectoral), and bendbpm21 (semivectoral with gain sheet spproximation for gain and self-focusing). These codes all include bend loss and spatial (but not temporal) gain saturation.

A new ``ITER-Like'' Ion Cyclotron Resonance Frequency (ICRF) antenna was installed on the JET tokamak in 2007 and extensively operated on plasma since May 2008 for a wide range of conditions (frequencies: 33, 42 and 47 MHz, L- and ELMy H-mode plasmas, antenna strap - plasma separatrix distances from 9 to 17 cm). Aspects relating to the potential performance and design of the ITER system, will be discussed: (i) the wave coupling performance and validation of the TOPICA modelling code used to predict the coupled power in ITER; (ii) the operation at high coupled power density (up to 6.2 MW/m^2 in L-mode, 4.1 MW/m^2 in H-mode) and high RF voltage on the antenna structure (up to 42 kV); (iii) the coupling of ICRF power during fast variations (ms) in coupling occurring during ELMs and (iv) antenna control in the presence of high mutual coupling between antenna straps.

Runs of the NSTAB nonlinear stability code show there are many three-dimensional (3D) solutions of the advanced tokamak problem subject to axially symmetric boundary conditions. These numerical simulations based on mathematical equations in conservation form predict that the ITER international tokamak project will encounter persistent disruptions and edge localized mode (ELMS) crashes. Test particle runs of the TRAN transport code suggest that for quasineutrality to prevail in tokamaks a certain minimum level of 3D asymmetry of the magnetic spectrum is required which is comparable to that found in quasiaxially symmetric (QAS) stellarators. The computational theory suggests that a QAS stellarator with two field periods and proportions like those of ITER is a good candidate for a fusion reactor. For a demonstration reactor (DEMO) we seek an experiment that combines the best features of ITER, with a system of QAS coils providing external rotational transform, which is a measure of the poloidal field. We have discovered a configuration with unusually good quasisymmetry that is ideal for this task.

Coiled tube heat exchangers involving two-phase flows are used in a variety of application areas, extending from the aerospace industry to petrochemical, refrigeration land power generation industries. The optimal design in each situation requires a fundamental understanding of the heat, mass and momentum transfer characteristic of the flowing two-phase mixture. However, two-phase flows in lengths of horizontal or vertical straight channels with heat transfer are often quite difficult in themselves to understand sufficiently well to permit accurate system designs. The present study has the following general objectives: (1) Observe two-phase flow patterns of air-water and R-113 working fluids over a range of flow conditions, for helical and spiral coil geometries, of circular and rectangular cross-section; (2) Compare observed flow patterns with predictions of existing flow maps; (3) Study criteria for flow regime transitions for possible modifications of existing flow pattern maps; and (4) Measure associated pressure drops across the coiled test sections over the rage of flow conditions specified.

Channeled spectropolarimeters (CSP) measure the polarization state of light as a function of wavelength. Conventional Fourier reconstruction suffers from noise, assumes the channels are band-limited, and requires uniformly spaced samples. To address these problems, we propose an iterative reconstruction algorithm. We develop a mathematical model of CSP measurements and minimize a cost function based on this model. We simulate a measured spectrum using example Stokes parameters, from which we compare conventional Fourier reconstruction and iterative reconstruction. Importantly, our iterative approach can reconstruct signals that contain more bandwidth, an advancement over Fourier reconstruction. Our results also show that iterative reconstruction mitigates noise effects, processes non-uniformly spaced samples without interpolation, and more faithfully recovers the ground truth Stokes parameters. This work offers a significant improvement to Fourier reconstruction for channeled spectropolarimetry.

An electromagnetic coil for high temperature and high radiation application in which glass is used to insulate the electrical wire. A process for applying the insulation to the wire is disclosed which results in improved insulation properties.

Magnetic resonance imaging is an inherently signal-to-noise-starved technique that limits the spatial resolution, diagnostic image quality and results in typically long acquisition times that are prone to motion artefacts. This limitation is exacerbated when receive coils have poor fit due to lack of flexibility or need for padding for patient comfort. Here, we report a new approach that uses printing for fabricating receive coils. Our approach enables highly flexible, extremely lightweight conforming devices. We show that these devices exhibit similar to higher signal-to-noise ratio than conventional ones, in clinical scenarios when coils could be displaced more than 18 mm away from the body. In addition, we provide detailed material properties and components performance analysis. Prototype arrays are incorporated within infant blankets for in vivo studies. This work presents the first fully functional, printed coils for 1.5- and 3-T clinical scanners.

Coiling temperature is one of the most significant factors in products of hot strip mill to determine material properties such as strength, toughness of steel, so it is very important to achieve accurate coiling temperature control (CTC). Usually there are a few pyrometers on the run out table in hot strip mill, therefore temperature model and its adapting system have large influences on the accuracy of CTC. Also unscheduled change of rolling speed has a bad effect to keep coiling temperature as its target. Newly developed CTC system is able to get very accurate coiling temperature against uncertain factors and disturbances by adopting easily identified temperature model, learning method and dynamic set up function. The features of the CTC system are discussed with actual data, and the effectiveness of the system is shown by actual control results.

An electromagnetic coil for high temperature and high radiation application in which glass is used to insulate the electrical wire. A process for applying the insulation to the wire is disclosed which results in improved insulation properties.

Magnetic resonance imaging is an inherently signal-to-noise-starved technique that limits the spatial resolution, diagnostic image quality and results in typically long acquisition times that are prone to motion artefacts. This limitation is exacerbated when receive coils have poor fit due to lack of flexibility or need for padding for patient comfort. Here, we report a new approach that uses printing for fabricating receive coils. Our approach enables highly flexible, extremely lightweight conforming devices. We show that these devices exhibit similar to higher signal-to-noise ratio than conventional ones, in clinical scenarios when coils could be displaced more than 18 mm away from the body. In addition, we provide detailed material properties and components performance analysis. Prototype arrays are incorporated within infant blankets for in vivo studies. This work presents the first fully functional, printed coils for 1.5- and 3-T clinical scanners. PMID:26961073

We introduce a square coil system for remote magnetic navigation of a magnetic device without any physical movements of the coils. We used three square-Helmholtz coils and a square-Maxwell coil for magnetic propulsion of a small magnet along the desired path. All the square coils are mountable on a cubic frame that has an opening to accommodate a living subject. The square-Helmholtz coils control the magnetic propulsion direction by generating uniform magnetic field along the desired direction while the square-Maxwell coil controls the propulsion force by generating magnetic gradient field. We performed magnetic propulsion experiments with a down-scaled coil set and a three-channel coil driver. Experimental results demonstrate that we can use the square coil set for magnetic navigation of a magnetic device without any physical movements of the coils. PMID:20054666

The pace of the ITER project in St Paul-lez-Durance, France is accelerating rapidly into its peak construction phase. With the completion of the B2 slab in August 2014, which will support about 400 000 metric tons of the tokamak complex structures and components, the construction is advancing on a daily basis. Magnet, vacuum vessel, cryostat, thermal shield, first wall and divertor structures are under construction or in prototype phase in the ITER member states of China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, and the United States. Each of these member states has its own domestic agency (DA) to manage their procurements of components for ITER. Plant systems engineering is being transformed to fully integrate the tokamak and its auxiliary systems in preparation for the assembly and operations phase. CODAC, diagnostics, and the three main heating and current drive systems are also progressing, including the construction of the neutral beam test facility building in Padua, Italy. The conceptual design of the Chinese test blanket module system for ITER has been completed and those of the EU are well under way. Significant progress has been made addressing several outstanding physics issues including disruption load characterization, prediction, avoidance, and mitigation, first wall and divertor shaping, edge pedestal and SOL plasma stability, fuelling and plasma behaviour during confinement transients and W impurity transport. Further development of the ITER Research Plan has included a definition of the required plant configuration for 1st plasma and subsequent phases of ITER operation as well as the major plasma commissioning activities and the needs of the accompanying R&D program to ITER construction by the ITER parties.

The patent describes a passive resistance type energy dump for the protection of the coils of a superconducting magnet. Insertion heaters are immersed in a rigid container filled with a fusible alloy. The energy dump is connected across the coils of the superconducting magnet wherein individual heater elements are connected singly to the windings or otherwise according to the energy dumping requirements upon transition of the magnet to a normal state.

We show that a nanoscale polymer solution electrojet can coil to form free-standing hollow pottery as the jet is focused onto a sharp electrode tip. A scaling law is given based on the balance of the electrostatic compression force and the elastic resistance to predict the coil radius and frequency as the functions of relevant physical parameters. The structures formed by the nanofibers can be used in diverse fields of nanotechnology, for example, as nanomagnets, bioscaffolds, and nanochannels. PMID:20486713

A planar coil RF inductively coupled plasma (PC-RFICP) systems is set up for the purpose of thin film deposition. The system is powered by a 13.56 MHz, 550 W, 50 OMEGA RF generator. The RF power is transferred to the plasma via a planar induction coil. The impedance matching unit consists of an air core step-down transformer and a tunable vacuum capacitor. This system is used for the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) of diamond-like carbon (DLC) film on silicon substrate, and hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) film.

Both AC loss and wire cost in coil windings are critical factors for high temperature superconductor (HTS) AC machinery applications. We present AC loss measurement results in three HTS coil assemblies at 77 K and 65 K which have a hybrid coil structure comprising one central winding (CW) and two end windings (EWs) wound with ReBCO and BSCCO wires with different self-field I c values at 77 K. All AC loss results in the coil assemblies are hysteretic and the normalized AC losses in the coil assemblies at different temperatures can be scaled with the I c value of the coil assemblies. The normalised results show that AC loss in a coil assembly with BSCCO CW can be reduced by using EWs wound with high I c ReBCO wires, whilst further AC loss reduction can be achieved by replacing the BSCCO CW with ReBCO CW. The results imply that a flexible hybrid coil structure is possible which considers both AC loss and wire cost in coil assemblies.

Stimuli responsive controlled release from liposome based vesicles is a promising strategy for the site specific delivery of drugs. Herein, we report the design of pH sensitive coiledcoils and their incorporation into the liposome as triggers for the controlled release of encapsulated drugs. The designed coiledcoil peptides with the incorporation of environment sensitive fluorescent amino acids were found to be stable at physiological pH and unstructured while changing the pH of the environment to either acidic or basic. This pH dependent conformational switch of the coiled-coil polypeptides was exploited as triggers for the enhanced release of the encapsulated drug molecules from liposomes. The SEM, DLS and TEM analysis revealed the uniform morphology of the peptide liposome hybrid vesicles. Further, the drug encapsulated liposome internalization experiments with cancer cells revealed the enhanced release and accumulation of drugs in the acidic lysosomal compartments in comparison with liposomes without coiledcoils.Stimuli responsive controlled release from liposome based vesicles is a promising strategy for the site specific delivery of drugs. Herein, we report the design of pH sensitive coiledcoils and their incorporation into the liposome as triggers for the controlled release of encapsulated drugs. The designed coiledcoil peptides with the incorporation of environment sensitive fluorescent amino acids were found to be stable at physiological pH and unstructured while changing the pH of the environment to either acidic or basic. This pH dependent conformational switch of the coiled-coil polypeptides was exploited as triggers for the enhanced release of the encapsulated drug molecules from liposomes. The SEM, DLS and TEM analysis revealed the uniform morphology of the peptide liposome hybrid vesicles. Further, the drug encapsulated liposome internalization experiments with cancer cells revealed the enhanced release and accumulation of drugs in the acidic

The Levitated Dipole Experiment (LDX) is an innovative facility to study plasma confinement in a dipole magnetic field, created by a superconducting solenoid (floating coil), which is magnetically levitated in the center of a 5 m diameter by 3 m tall vacuum chamber. The floating coil (F-coil) consists of a Nb3Sn magnet installed inside a strong vessel filled with high-pressure helium gas at room temperature. It is surrounded by a fiberglass-lead composite radiation shield and by a toroidal vacuum shell. The cryostat design provides the ability to operate the magnet for several hours of wanning while suspended in the middle of the vacuum chamber without electric and cryogenic connections to the coil. For this reason the magnet is charged/discharged inductively in a lower part of the vacuum chamber. The retractable cryogenic transfer lines serve to cool down the magnet to 4.5 K before it is lifted to the operating position. The F-coil can be re-cooled multiple times while maintaining its field and current. This paper describes the thermal performance of the F-coil.

Recent studies have shown that rotating a single RF transceive coil (RRFC) provides a uniform coverage of the object and brings a number of hardware advantages (i.e. requires only one RF channel, averts coil-coil coupling interactions and facilitates large-scale multi-nuclear imaging). Motion of the RF coil sensitivity profile however violates the standard Fourier Transform definition of a time-invariant signal, and the images reconstructed in this conventional manner can be degraded by ghosting artifacts. To overcome this problem, this paper presents Time Division Multiplexed-Sensitivity Encoding (TDM-SENSE), as a new image reconstruction scheme that exploits the rotation of the RF coil sensitivity profile to facilitate ghost-free image reconstructions and reductions in image acquisition time. A transceive RRFC system for head imaging at 2 Tesla was constructed and applied in a number of in vivo experiments. In this initial study, alias-free head images were obtained in half the usual scan time. It is hoped that new sequences and methods will be developed by taking advantage of coil motion. PMID:19800824

Recent studies have shown that rotating a single RF transceive coil (RRFC) provides a uniform coverage of the object and brings a number of hardware advantages (i.e. requires only one RF channel, averts coil-coil coupling interactions and facilitates large-scale multi-nuclear imaging). Motion of the RF coil sensitivity profile however violates the standard Fourier Transform definition of a time-invariant signal, and the images reconstructed in this conventional manner can be degraded by ghosting artifacts. To overcome this problem, this paper presents Time Division Multiplexed — Sensitivity Encoding (TDM-SENSE), as a new image reconstruction scheme that exploits the rotation of the RF coil sensitivity profile to facilitate ghost-free image reconstructions and reductions in image acquisition time. A transceive RRFC system for head imaging at 2 Tesla was constructed and applied in a number of in vivo experiments. In this initial study, alias-free head images were obtained in half the usual scan time. It is hoped that new sequences and methods will be developed by taking advantage of coil motion.

This work reports the development of a MEMS bistable electromagnetic vibrational energy harvester (EMVEH) consisting of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) spiral spring, double layer micro-coils and miniaturized NdFeB magnets. Furthermore, with respect to the spiral silicon spring based VEH, four different square micro-coil topologies with different copper track width and number of turns have been investigated to determine the optimal coil dimensions. The micro-generator with the optimal micro-coil generated 0.68 micro-watt load power over an optimum resistive load at 0.1g acceleration, leading to normalized power density of 3.5 kg.s/m3. At higher accelerations the load power increased, and the vibrating magnet collides with the planar micro-coil producing wider bandwidth. Simulation results show that a substantially wider bandwidth could be achieved in the same device by introducing bistable nonlinearity through a repulsive configuration between the moving and fixed permanent magnets.

Modern counter-current chromatography (CCC) originated from the helical coil planet centrifuge. Recently, spiral coils were found to possess higher separation efficiency in both the retention of stationary phase and solutes resolution than other CCC coils like the helical and toroidal coils used on type-J CCC and cross-axis CCC. In this work, we built a novel conical coil CCC for the preparative isolation and purification of tanshinones from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. The conical coils were wound on three identical upright tapered holders in head-to-tail and left-handed direction and connected in series. Compared with helical and spiral coil CCC, conical coil CCC not only placed CCC column in a two-dimensional centrifugal field, but also provided a potential centrifugal force gradient both in axial and radial directions. The extra centrifugal gradient made mobile phase move faster and enabled CCC much higher retention of stationary phase and better resolution. As a result, higher efficiency has been obtained with the solvent system of hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (HEMWat) with the volume ratio of 5:5:7:3 by using conical coil CCC apparatus. Four tanshinones, including cryptotanshinone (1), tanshinone I (2), 1,2-dihydrotanshinquinone (3) and tanshinone IIA (4), were well resolved from 500mg to 1g crude samples with high purity. Furthermore, the conical coil CCC can make a much higher solid phase retention, which makes it to be a powerful separation tool with high throughput. This is the first report about conical coil CCC for separation of tanshinones and it may also be an important advancement for natural products isolation. PMID:23541654

This document contains the results of an optical design scoping study of visible-light and infrared optics for the ITER upper ports, performed by LLNL under contract for the US ITER Project Office. ITER is an international collaboration to build a large fusion energy tokamak with a goal of demonstrating net fusion power for pulses much longer than the energy confinement time. At the time of this report, six of the ITER upper ports are planned to each to contain a camera system for recording visible and infrared light, as well as other diagnostics. the performance specifications for the temporal and spatial resolution of this system are shown in the Section II, Functional Specifications. They acknowledge a debt to Y. Corre and co-authors of the CEA Cadarache report ''ITER wide-angle viewing and thermographic and visible system''. Several of the concepts used in this design are derived from that CEA report. The infrared spatial resolution for optics of this design is diffraction-limited by the size of the entrance aperture, at lower resolution than listed in the ITER diagnostic specifications. The size of the entrance aperture is a trade-off between spatial resolution, optics size in the port, and the location of relay optics. The signal-to-noise ratio allows operation at the specified time resolutions.

OAK-B135 Since 1995, DIII-D has performed correction of magnetic field imperfections using a set of six external picture frame coils located on the vessel mid-plane. In 2000, these coils also demonstrated benefits when used for feedback of the resistive wall mode, an instability that limits the plasma performance at high beta. Modeling has shown that substantial performance improvements could be achieved by installing new coils inside the vessel and expanding the poloidal coverage above and below the mid-plane. Two prototype internal coils were installed in 2001 and were power tested successfully after several bakes to 350 C. A full set of twelve internal coils and related magnetic sensors are now operational in the DIII-D tokamak. The design requirements for the new coil system was to maximize the magnetic field at the plasma edge, operate with a frequency range of dc to 1000 Hz, and fit behind the existing graphite wall tiles. The coil design adopted and installed is a water-cooled hollow copper conductor insulated with polyamide and housed inside a stainless steel tube that forms a vacuum boundary. The coil is rigidly mounted to the inside of the vacuum vessel. The primary challenge in the design of these coils wa sin joining of both the copper conductor and the stainless tube without overheating the polyamide insulator. Elastic-plastic analysis was used to demonstrate acceptable thermal stresses during baking conditions. Analysis determined the optimum water cooling channel diameter. The coils were tested in high toroidal field to the limit of the power supply of 4.5 kA DC with inductance-limited current for frequencies between 300 Hz and 1000 Hz. Recent results are presented.

Coiled arrays, a cylindrical array in which each wire is formed into a helix, suppress the modulation of ablation at the fundamental wavelength. Outside the vicinity of the wire cores, ablation flow from coiled arrays is modulated at the coil wavelength and has a 2-stream structure in the r,{theta} plane. Within the vicinity of the helical wires, ablation is concentrated at positions with the greatest azimuthal displacement and plasma is axially transported from these positions such that the streams become aligned with sections of the coil furthest from the array axis. The GORGON MHD code accurately reproduces this observed ablation structure, which can be understood in terms of JxB forces that result from the interaction of the global magnetic field with a helical current path as well as additional current paths suggested by the simulations. With this ability to control where ablation streamers occur, large wavelength coils were constructed such that the breaks that form in the wires had sufficient axial separation to prevent perturbations in the implosion sheath from merging. This produces a new mode of implosion in which the global instability can be controlled and perturbations correlated between all wires in an array. For large wavelength 8-wire coiled arrays, this produced a dramatic increase in x-ray power, equalling that of a 32-wire straight array. These experiments were carried out on the MAGPIE generator (1 MA, 240 ns) at Imperial College, and the COBRA generator (1 MA, 100 ns) at Cornell University.

HTS racetrack coils are becoming important elements of an emerging number of superconducting devices such as generators or motors. In these devices the issue of AC loss is crucial, as performance and cooling power are derived from this quantity. This paper presents a comparative study of transport AC loss in two different types of 2G HTS racetrack coils. In this study, both experimental measurements and computer simulation approaches were employed. All the experiments were performed using classical AC electrical method. The finite-element computer model was used to estimate electromagnetic properties and calculate transport AC loss. The main difference between the characterized coils is covered inside tape architectures. While one coil uses tape based on RABITS magnetic substrate, the second coil uses a non-magnetic tape. Ferromagnetic loss caused by a magnetic substrate is an important issue involved in the total AC loss. As a result, the coil with the magnetic substrate surprised with high AC loss and rather low performance.

HTS racetrack coils are becoming important elements of an emerging number of superconducting devices such as generators or motors. In these devices the issue of AC loss is crucial, as performance and cooling power are derived from this quantity. This paper presents a comparative study of transport AC loss in two different types of 2G HTS racetrack coils. In this study, both experimental measurements and computer simulation approaches were employed. All the experiments were performed using classical AC electrical method. The finite-element computer model was used to estimate electromagnetic properties and calculate transport AC loss. The main difference between the characterized coils is covered inside tape architectures. While one coil uses tape based on RABITS magnetic substrate, the second coil uses a non-magnetic tape. Ferromagnetic loss caused by a magnetic substrate is an important issue involved in the total AC loss. As a result, the coil with the magnetic substrate surprised with high AC loss and rather low performance.

L. Adleman has proposed a three step method for breaking the iterated knapsack that runs in polynomial time and is linear in the number of iterations. In this paper, we show that the first step is possibly exponential in the number of iterations, and that the second and third steps are exponential even for only three iterations.

At least one graphene layer is formed to laterally surround a tube so that the basal plane of each graphene layer is tangential to the local surface of the tube on which the graphene layer is formed. An electrically conductive path is provided around the tube for providing high conductivity electrical path provided by the basal plane of each graphene layer. The high conductivity path can be employed for high frequency applications such as coupling coils for wireless power transmission to overcome skin depth effects and proximity effects prevalent in high frequency alternating current paths.

A radiation-hard insulated electrical coil and method for making the same are disclosed. In accordance with the method, a conductor, preferably copper, is wrapped with an aluminum strip and then tightly wound into a coil. The aluminum-wrapped coil is then annealed to relax the conductor in the coiled configuration. The annealed coil is then immersed in an alkaline solution to dissolve the aluminum strip, leaving the bare conductor in a coiled configuration with all of the windings closely packed yet uniformly spaced from one another. The coil is then insulated with a refractory insulating material. In the preferred embodiment, the coil is insulated by coating it with a vitreous enamel and subsequently potting the enamelled coil in a castable ceramic concrete. The resulting coil is substantially insensitive to radiation and may be operated continuously in high radiation environments for long periods of time.

In this work, the influence of eddy effect of coils on magnetic, flow, and temperature fields in an electromagnetically levitated molten droplet was investigated by a serial of axisymmetric numerical simulations. In an electromagnetic levitation device, both metal droplet and coils are conductive materials, therefore the distributions of current density in them should be non-uniform as a result of the eddy effect. However, in previous works, the eddy effect was considered alone in metal droplet but ignored in coils usually. As the distance of coils and metal droplet is several millimetres in general, the non-uniform distribution of current density in coils actually gives important influences on calculations of magnetic, flow, and temperature fields. Here, we consider the eddy effect both in metal droplet as well as that in coils simultaneously. Lifting force, absorbed power, fluid flow, and temperature field inside a 4-mm radius molten copper droplet as a typical example are then calculated and analyzed carefully under such condition. The results show that eddy effect leads to higher magnetic force, velocity, and temperature in both levitating and melting processes than those when the eddy effect is ignored. What is more, such influence increases as the distance of droplet and coils becomes closer, which corresponds to experimental measurement. Therefore, we suggest that eddy effect of coils should be considered in numerical simulation on this topic to obtain more reliable result.

As research and development of helical field coil and poloidal field coil for large helical device (LHD), two forced-flow cooled NbTi superconducting coils (TOKI-TF, PF) were designed and fabricated. The helical coil (TOKI-TF) is a 1/4 scale model of LHD. It has the major radius of 0.9 m, the minor radius of 0.25 m and pitch number of 4. Nominal current and maximum field were designed to be 8 kA and 2.8 T, respectively. Another coil (TOKI-PF) was fabricated for the demonstration of LHD poloidal field coils. It consists of two double-pancakes with the inner radius of 0.6 m and the outer radius of 0.82 m. Nominal current of 25 kA simulates that of LHD poloidal field coils. Cable-in-conduit type conductors were used for both coils. The test facility was also constructed with a vacuum vessel, liquid nitrogen shield, 30 kA power leads, a heat exchanger, cryogenic supports, and others. In this paper, design concepts and details are presented.

The Thermal Cycling Absorption Process (TCAP) is used to separate isotopes of hydrogen. TCAP involves passing a stream of mixed hydrogen isotopes through palladium deposited on kieselguhr (Pd/k) while cycling the temperature of the Pd/k. Kieselguhr is a silica mineral also called diatomite. To aid in the design of a full scale facility, the Thermal Fluids Laboratory was used by the Chemical and Hydrogen Technology Section to compare the heat transfer properties of three different configurations of stainless steel coils containing kieselguhr and helium. Testing of coils containing Pd/k and hydrogen isotopes would have been more prototypical but would have been too expensive. Three stainless steel coils filled with kieselguhr were tested; one made from 2.0 inch diameter tubing, one made from 2.0 inch diameter tubing with foam copper embedded in the kieselguhr and one made from 1.25 inch diameter tubing. It was known prior to testing that increasing the tubing diameter from 1.25 inch to 2.0 inch would slow the rate of temperature change. The primary purpose of the testing was to measure to what extent the presence of copper foam in a 2.0" tubing coil would compensate for the effect of larger diameter. Each coil was connected to a pressure gage and the coil was evacuated and backfilled with helium gas. Helium was used instead of a mixture of hydrogen isotopes for reasons of safety. Each coil was quickly immersed in a stirred bath of ethylene glycol at a temperature of approximately 100 degrees Celsius. The coil pressure increased, reflecting the increase in average temperature of its contents. The pressure transient was recored as a function of time after immersion. Because of the actual process will use Pd/k instead of kieselguhr, additional tests were run to determine the differences in thermal properties between the two materials. The method was to position a thermocouple at the center of a hollow sphere and pack the sphere with Pd/k. The sphere was sealed, quickly

The Thermal Cycling Absorption Process (TCAP) is used to separate isotopes of hydrogen. TCAP involves passing a stream of mixed hydrogen isotopes through palladium deposited on kieselguhr (Pd/k) while cycling the temperature of the Pd/k. Kieselguhr is a silica mineral also called diatomite. To aid in the design of a full scale facility, the Thermal Fluids Laboratory was used by the Chemical and Hydrogen Technology Section to compare the heat transfer properties of three different configurations of stainless steel coils containing kieselguhr and helium. Testing of coils containing Pd/k and hydrogen isotopes would have been more prototypical but would have been too expensive. Three stainless steel coils filled with kieselguhr were tested; one made from 2.0 inch diameter tubing, one made from 2.0 inch diameter tubing with foam copper embedded in the kieselguhr and one made from 1.25 inch diameter tubing. It was known prior to testing that increasing the tubing diameter from 1.25 inch to 2.0 inch would slow the rate of temperature change. The primary purpose of the testing was to measure to what extent the presence of copper foam in a 2.0 tubing coil would compensate for the effect of larger diameter. Each coil was connected to a pressure gage and the coil was evacuated and backfilled with helium gas. Helium was used instead of a mixture of hydrogen isotopes for reasons of safety. Each coil was quickly immersed in a stirred bath of ethylene glycol at a temperature of approximately 100 degrees Celsius. The coil pressure increased, reflecting the increase in average temperature of its contents. The pressure transient was recored as a function of time after immersion. Because of the actual process will use Pd/k instead of kieselguhr, additional tests were run to determine the differences in thermal properties between the two materials. The method was to position a thermocouple at the center of a hollow sphere and pack the sphere with Pd/k. The sphere was sealed, quickly

Processive kinesin motors often contain a coiled-coil neck that controls the directionality and processivity. However, the neck coil (NC) of kinesin-3 is too short to form a stable coiled-coil dimer. Here, we found that the coiled-coil (CC1)-forkhead-associated (FHA) tandem (that is connected to NC by Pro-390) of kinesin-3 KIF13A assembles as an extended dimer. With the removal of Pro-390, the NC-CC1 tandem of KIF13A unexpectedly forms a continuous coiled-coil dimer that can be well aligned into the CC1-FHA dimer. The reverse introduction of Pro-390 breaks the NC-CC1 coiled-coil dimer but provides the intrinsic flexibility to couple NC with the CC1-FHA tandem. Mutations of either NC, CC1, or the FHA domain all significantly impaired the motor activity. Thus, the three elements within the NC-CC1-FHA tandem of KIF13A are structurally interrelated to form a stable dimer for activating the motor. This work also provides the first direct structural evidence to support the formation of a coiled-coil neck by the short characteristic neck domain of kinesin-3. PMID:26680000

We describe an accurate and precise calibration procedure for multichannel optical pyrometers such as the 6-channel, 3-ns temporal resolution instrument used in the Caltech experimental geophysics laboratory. We begin with a review of calibration sources for shock temperatures in the 3000-30 000 K range. High-power, coiled tungsten halogen standards of spectral irradiance appear to be the only practical alternative to NIST-traceable tungsten ribbon lamps, which are no longer available with large enough calibrated area. However, non-uniform radiance complicates the use of such coiled lamps for reliable and reproducible calibration of pyrometers that employ imaging or relay optics. Careful analysis of documented methods of shock pyrometer calibration to coiled irradiance standard lamps shows that only one technique, not directly applicable in our case, is free of major radiometric errors. We provide a detailed description of the modified Caltech pyrometer instrument and a procedure for its absolute spectral radiance calibration, accurate to ±5%. We employ a designated central area of a 0.7× demagnified image of a coiled-coil tungsten halogen lamp filament, cross-calibrated against a NIST-traceable tungsten ribbon lamp. We give the results of the cross-calibration along with descriptions of the optical arrangement, data acquisition, and processing. We describe a procedure to characterize the difference between the static and dynamic response of amplified photodetectors, allowing time-dependent photodiode correction factors for spectral radiance histories from shock experiments. We validate correct operation of the modified Caltech pyrometer with actual shock temperature experiments on single-crystal NaCl and MgO and obtain very good agreement with the literature data for these substances. We conclude with a summary of the most essential requirements for error-free calibration of a fiber-optic shock-temperature pyrometer using a high-powercoiled tungsten halogen

We describe an accurate and precise calibration procedure for multichannel optical pyrometers such as the 6-channel, 3-ns temporal resolution instrument used in the Caltech experimental geophysics laboratory. We begin with a review of calibration sources for shock temperatures in the 3000-30,000 K range. High-power, coiled tungsten halogen standards of spectral irradiance appear to be the only practical alternative to NIST-traceable tungsten ribbon lamps, which are no longer available with large enough calibrated area. However, non-uniform radiance complicates the use of such coiled lamps for reliable and reproducible calibration of pyrometers that employ imaging or relay optics. Careful analysis of documented methods of shock pyrometer calibration to coiled irradiance standard lamps shows that only one technique, not directly applicable in our case, is free of major radiometric errors. We provide a detailed description of the modified Caltech pyrometer instrument and a procedure for its absolute spectral radiance calibration, accurate to ±5%. We employ a designated central area of a 0.7× demagnified image of a coiled-coil tungsten halogen lamp filament, cross-calibrated against a NIST-traceable tungsten ribbon lamp. We give the results of the cross-calibration along with descriptions of the optical arrangement, data acquisition, and processing. We describe a procedure to characterize the difference between the static and dynamic response of amplified photodetectors, allowing time-dependent photodiode correction factors for spectral radiance histories from shock experiments. We validate correct operation of the modified Caltech pyrometer with actual shock temperature experiments on single-crystal NaCl and MgO and obtain very good agreement with the literature data for these substances. We conclude with a summary of the most essential requirements for error-free calibration of a fiber-optic shock-temperature pyrometer using a high-powercoiled tungsten halogen

We describe an accurate and precise calibration procedure for multichannel optical pyrometers such as the 6-channel, 3-ns temporal resolution instrument used in the Caltech experimental geophysics laboratory. We begin with a review of calibration sources for shock temperatures in the 3000-30 000 K range. High-power, coiled tungsten halogen standards of spectral irradiance appear to be the only practical alternative to NIST-traceable tungsten ribbon lamps, which are no longer available with large enough calibrated area. However, non-uniform radiance complicates the use of such coiled lamps for reliable and reproducible calibration of pyrometers that employ imaging or relay optics. Careful analysis of documented methods of shock pyrometer calibration to coiled irradiance standard lamps shows that only one technique, not directly applicable in our case, is free of major radiometric errors. We provide a detailed description of the modified Caltech pyrometer instrument and a procedure for its absolute spectral radiance calibration, accurate to ±5%. We employ a designated central area of a 0.7× demagnified image of a coiled-coil tungsten halogen lamp filament, cross-calibrated against a NIST-traceable tungsten ribbon lamp. We give the results of the cross-calibration along with descriptions of the optical arrangement, data acquisition, and processing. We describe a procedure to characterize the difference between the static and dynamic response of amplified photodetectors, allowing time-dependent photodiode correction factors for spectral radiance histories from shock experiments. We validate correct operation of the modified Caltech pyrometer with actual shock temperature experiments on single-crystal NaCl and MgO and obtain very good agreement with the literature data for these substances. We conclude with a summary of the most essential requirements for error-free calibration of a fiber-optic shock-temperature pyrometer using a high-powercoiled tungsten halogen

This brief paper introduces how the ITER will be built in the international collaboration. The ITER Organization plays a central role in constructing ITER and leading it into operation. Since most of the ITER components are to be provided in-kind from the member countries, integral project management should be scoped in advance of real work. Those include design, procurement, system assembly, testing, licensing and commissioning of ITER.

The results of neutronics calculations for the pellet injection system of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) are described. Hands-on maintenance of components in the pellet injection room results in a considerable simplification of maintenance support equipment and in greater system availability. The basic configuration of the pellet injection system includes small-diameter guide tubes with which the pellet may have several small-angle collisions before reaching the plasma. The pellet injector port through which the guide tubes pass will be shared with ITER plasma diagnostics, so the calculation takes into account penetrations to accommodate numerous channels for a neutron spectrometer and neutron and gamma-ray cameras. The conservative assumption of steady-state operation of ITER for 1000 days was taken as the baseline for calculating the activation of components in the pellet injection room. The plasma configuration is based on the current ITER guidelines, the first wall configuration is based on the most recently updated configuration, and the blanket configuration is based on the US proposal for the blanket. The plasma, coils, and blanket regions were analyzed with the Monte Carlo code MCNP. The transport of neutrons through the penetrations was also performed with MCNP. The pellet injection room was modeled with the two-dimensional discrete ordinates code DORT, which was also used for the transport of neutrons during operation and of gamma rays caused by activation. The activation calculations were carried out with the REBATE code. Results from this study indicate that restricted personnel access to the pellet injection room is possible, so limited hands-on maintenance can be performed on the majority of the components in the room.

A gradient coil system for an image-generating, nuclear magnetic resonance tomographic apparatus, particularly a zeugmatographic apparatus. The gradient coil system is arranged on a support body of rotational symmetry, illustratively a hollow cylindrical support body, having an axis which extends along the z-direction of an x, y, z coordinate system which has an origin in the center of imaging region. The gradient coil system contains two pairs of toroidal individual coils which are arranged symmetrically with respect to an x-y plane which extends through the center of the imaging region and which are arranged perpendicular to the z-axis. The direction of current flow in the individual coils of a coil pair is opposite to the direction of flow in the individual coils of the other coil pair. Moreover, further sets of coils are provided for generating field gradient Gx in the x-direction, and Gy in the y-direction. The hollow cylindrical shape of the support body on which the individual coils are arranged permit an imaging region having a substantially spherical volume with a substantially constant field gradient Gz to be achieved. Each of the coils has a predetermined linkage factor which corresponds to the product of the current flowing through the number of coil turns of the coil. Those coils which are arranged further from the plane of symmetry have a substantially larger linkage factor than the coils which are nearer to the plane of symmetry.

TOPICA (Torino Polytechnic Ion Cyclotron Antenna) code is an innovative tool for the 3D/1D simulation of Ion Cyclotron Radio Frequency (ICRF), i.e. accounting for antennas in a realistic 3D geometry and with an accurate 1D plasma model [1]. The TOPICA code has been deeply parallelized and has been already proved to be a reliable tool for antennas design and performance prediction. A detailed analysis of the 24 straps ITER ICRF antenna geometry has been carried out, underlining the strong dependence and asymmetries of the antenna input parameters due to the ITER plasma response. We optimized the antenna array geometry dimensions to maximize loading, lower mutual couplings and mitigate sheath effects. The calculated antenna input impedance matrices are TOPICA results of a paramount importance for the tuning and matching system design. Electric field distributions have been also calculated and they are used as the main input for the power flux estimation tool. The designed optimized antenna is capable of coupling 20 MW of power to plasma in the 40 -- 55 MHz frequency range with a maximum voltage of 45 kV in the feeding coaxial cables. [1] V. Lancellotti et al., Nuclear Fusion, 46 (2006) S476-S499

The ITER site has not yet been determined. Nevertheless, to develop a construction plan and a cost estimate, it is necessary to have a detailed layout of the buildings, structures and outdoor equipment integrated with the balance of plant service systems prototypical of large fusion power plants. These services include electrical power for magnet feeds and plasma heating systems, cryogenic and conventional cooling systems, compressed air, gas supplies, demineralized water, steam and drainage. Nuclear grade facilities are provided to handle tritium fuel and activated waste, as well as to prevent radiation exposure of workers and the public. To prevent interference between services of different types and for efficient arrangement of buildings, structures and equipment within the site area, a plan was developed which segregated different classes of services to four quadrants surrounding the tokamak building, placed at the approximate geographical centre of the site. The locations of the buildings on the generic site were selected to meet all design requirements at minimum total project cost. A similar approach was used to determine the locations of services above, at and below grade. The generic site plan can be adapted to the site selected for ITER without significant changes to the buildings or equipment. Some rearrangements may be required by site topography, resulting primarily in changes to the length of services that link the buildings and equipment.

Biomaterials constructed from self-assembling peptides, peptide derivatives, and peptide-polymer conjugates are receiving increasing attention as defined matrices for tissue engineering, controlled therapeutic release, and in vitro cell expansion, but many are constructed from peptide structures not typically found in the human extracellular matrix. Here we report a self-assembling biomaterial constructed from a designed peptide inspired by the coiledcoil domain of human fibrin, the major protein constituent of blood clots and the provisional scaffold of wound healing. Targeted substitutions were made in the residues forming the interface between coiledcoil strands for a 37-amino acid peptide from human fibrinogen to stabilize the coiledcoil peptide bundle, while the solvent-exposed residues were left unchanged to provide a surface similar to that of the native protein. This peptide, which self-assembled into coiledcoil dimers and tetramers, was then used to produce triblock peptide-PEG-peptide bioconjugates that self-assembled into viscoelastic hydrogel biomaterials. PMID:18712921

Coiled-coil sequences in proteins commonly share a seven-amino acid repeat with nonpolar side chains at the first (a) and fourth (d) positions. We investigate here the role of a 3-3-1 hydrophobic repeat containing nonpolar amino acids at the a, d, and g positions in determining the structures of coiledcoils using mutants of the GCN4 leucine zipper dimerization domain. When three charged residues at the g positions in the parental sequence are replaced by nonpolar alanine or valine side chains, stable four-helix structures result. The X-ray crystal structures of the tetramers reveal antiparallel, four-stranded coiledcoils in which the a, d, and g side chains interlock in a combination of knobs-into-knobs and knobs-into-holes packing. Interfacial interactions in a coiledcoil can therefore be prescribed by hydrophobic-polar patterns beyond the canonical 3-4 heptad repeat. The results suggest that the conserved, charged residues at the g positions in the GCN4 leucine zipper can impart a negative design element to disfavor thermodynamically more stable, antiparallel tetramers.

Tripartite motif (TRIM) proteins make up a large family of coiled-coil-containing RING E3 ligases that function in many cellular processes, particularly innate antiviral response pathways. Both dimerization and higher-order assembly are important elements of TRIM protein function, but the atomic details of TRIM tertiary and quaternary structure have not been fully understood. Here, we present crystallographic and biochemical analyses of the TRIM coiled-coil and show that TRIM proteins dimerize by forming interdigitating antiparallel helical hairpins that position the N-terminal catalytic RING domains at opposite ends of the dimer and the C-terminal substrate-binding domains at the center. The dimer core comprises an antiparallel coiled-coil with a distinctive, symmetric pattern of flanking heptad and central hendecad repeats that appear to be conserved across the entire TRIM family. Our studies reveal how the coiled-coil organizes TRIM25 to polyubiquitylate the RIG-I/viral RNA recognition complex and how dimers of the TRIM5α protein are arranged within hexagonal arrays that recognize the HIV-1 capsid lattice and restrict retroviral replication. PMID:24550273

Long-chain bacterial polysaccharides play important roles in pathogenicity. In Escherichia coli O9a, a model for ABC transporter dependent polysaccharide assembly, a large extracellular carbohydrate with a narrow distribution of size is polymerized from monosaccharides by a complex of two proteins, WbdA (polymerase) and WbdD (terminating protein). Such careful control of polymerization is recurring theme in biology. Combining crystallography and small angle X-ray scattering, we show that the C-terminal domain of WbdD contains an extended coiled-coil that physically separates WbdA from the catalytic domain of WbdD. The effects of insertions and deletions within the coiled-coil region were analyzed in vivo, revealing that polymer size is controlled by varying the length of the coiled-coil domain. Thus, the coiled-coil domain of WbdD functions as a molecular ruler that, along with WbdA:WbdD stoichiometry, controls the chain length of a model bacterial polysaccharide. PMID:25504321

A blood clot needs to have the right degree of stiffness and plasticity for hemostasis, but the origin of these mechanical properties is unknown. Here we report the first measurements using single molecule atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study the forced unfolding of fibrinogen to begin addressing this problem. To generate longer reproducible curves than are possible using monomer, factor XIIIa cross-linked, single chain fibrinogen oligomers were used. When extended under force, these oligomers showed sawtooth shaped force-extension patterns characteristic of unfolding proteins with a peak-to-peak separation of approximately 26 nm, consistent with the independent unfolding of the coiled-coils. These results were then reproduced using a Monte Carlo simulation with parameters in the same range as those previously used for unfolding globular domains. In particular, we found that the refolding time was negligible on experimental time and force scales in contrast to previous work on simpler coiled-coils. We suggest that this difference may be due to fibrinogen's structurally and topologically more complex coiled-coils and that an interaction between the alpha C and central domains may be involved. These results suggest a new functional property of fibrinogen and that the coiled-coil is more than a passive structural element of this molecule.

The German government (BMBF/VDI) funded project CULT 110 is presently the largest European current limiter project and aims at the development of a one-phase resistive limiter for the voltage level of 110 kV. The contribution presents the actual state of development of the superconducting components. As in the successful predecessor project CURL 10 these are made of melt cast processed BSCCO 2212 bulk material, however monofilar instead of bifilar coils are used. The electrical protection concept is based on a normal conducting coil arranged around a superconducting coil and connected in parallel. Simultaneously this coil serves as an electrical bypass and, under fault conditions, generates a magnetic field for quench homogenisation. Since no continuously connected shunt is needed, a much higher voltage during faults can be applied. The rules for an optimum superconductor and coil design are given and the viability of the whole concept is demonstrated by both, experiment and numerical simulation.